Two Ethiopians, Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, and Admassu Tadesse, PTA Banks president were recognized in Washington DC last week, in an event organized by Council on Africa (CAA).

Along with Tony Elumelu, former CEO of United Bank of Africa, and Geoff Rothschild, Director of Johannesburg Stock Exchange, they were named African Business Leader of the Year for 2012. The CAA, which represents 85pc of United States investors in Africa, held the dinner gala as a celebration of excellence.

Sudanese-born and Harvard-educated Admassu, who used to work at a South African Development Bank was appointed as fourth president of Eastern and Southern African Trade & Development Bank, a.k.a. the Preferential Trade Area (PTA) Bank on January 15, 2012.

As he was awarded, he shared the stage with Tewolde Gebremariam, CEO, who took the helm at the national carrier in 2010 replacing Girma Wake.

While accepting the award Tadesse stressed the need for Africa to sustain its growth and create more job opportunities for the youth.