Bitwoded Haile Giyorgis Wolde Mikael was a senior Ethiopia government official who, holding the office of Negadras or chief of merchants, by 1906 supervised foreign businesses and diplomatic missions in the capital, Addis Ababa, as well as the responsibility of granting concessions and contracts to foreign enterprises, making the post the de facto Mayor of Addis Ababa, as well as its Chief of police, the Minister of Commerce and Minister of Foreign Affairs. These functions were separated by the formation of the first cabinet in 1907, with Haile Giyorgis appointed to those posts de jure. He was minister of finance from 1915 to 1917.[1]
With Haile Giyorgis' removal from office by then-Regent Ras Tafari Makonnen in 1917, the post of Negadras of Addis Ababa lost most of its powers to the office of Kantiba, the head of the municipal government, which had been created in 1910, with other towns later following suit.[2]
References
- ^ "Historical Background". June 4, 2011. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011.
- ^ Garretson, Peter (November 2000). "Intrigue and Power: Hayle Giyorgis, Addis Ababa's First Mayor". Seleda. II (V). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2014.