Arkebe Oqubay

Arkebe Oqubay

Distinguished Fellow
Arkebe Oqubay is a Senior Minister and Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. He has been at the centre of policymaking in Ethiopia for over 25 years and is a former mayor of its capital, Addis Ababa.
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In recognition of his efforts to transform Addis Ababa, Dr Arkebe was named Best African Mayor of 2006 by ABN and was a finalist for the World Mayor Award in the same year. He was recognised by the New African as one of the 100 Most Influential Africans of 2016 and a “leading thinker on Africa’s strategic development” for his work on industrialisation and industrial policies, both theoretical and practical.

His research, which has been widely published, focuses on:

  • structural transformation;
  • technological learning and catch-up;
  • industrial policy;
  • sustainability and urban transformation;
  • China-Africa ties; and
  • emerging and developing economies, with a special interest in Africa. 

His most recent publications include: Made in Africa (2015), The Oxford Handbook of the Ethiopian Economy (2019), How Nations Learn: Technological Learning, Industrial Policy, and Catch Up (2019) and China-Africa and an Economic Transformation (2019). He is a Research Associate at the Centre of African Studies, University of London, and holds a PhD in Development Studies from SOAS, University of London.

In 2018, Dr Arkebe was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star by the Emperor of Japan.

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