| Ambachew Mekonnen | |
| Native Name: | Amharic: አምባቸው መኮንን |
| Native Name Lang: | Amharic |
| Office: | Chief Administrator of Amhara Region |
| Term Start: | 8 March 2019 |
| Term End: | 22 June 2019 |
| Primeminister: | Abiy Ahmed |
| Predecessor: | Gedu Andargachew |
| Successor: | Temesgen Tiruneh |
| Office1: | Minister of Trade and Industry |
| Term Start1: | 19 April 2018 |
| Term End1: | 22 October 2018 |
| Primeminister1: | Abiy Ahmed |
| Predecessor1: | Gedu Andargachew |
| Successor1: | Fetlework Gebregziabher |
| Office2: | Minister of Housing and Urban Development |
| Term Start2: | 1 November 2016 |
| Term End2: | 19 April 2018 |
| Primeminister2: | Hailemariam Dessalegn Abiy Ahmed |
| Predecessor2: | Mekuria Haile |
| Successor2: | Jantirar Abay |
| Office3: | Minister of Construction |
| Term Start3: | 6 October 2015 |
| Term End3: | 1 November 2016 |
| Primeminister3: | Hailemariam Dessalegn |
| Predecessor3: | Mekuria Haile |
| Death Place: | Bahir Dar, Amhara Region, Ethiopia |
| Death Cause: | Assassination by gunshots |
| Otherparty: | Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front |
| Party: | Amhara Democratic Party |
| Alma Mater: | Ethiopian Civil Service University (BA) KDI School of Public Policy and Management (MPP) University of Kent (MSc, PhD) |
Ambachew Mekonnen (gez|አምባቸው መኮንን; – 22 June 2019) was an Ethiopian politician and economist who served as the president of the Amhara Region of Ethiopia from March 2019 until his assassination in a coup attempt on June 22, 2019.[1]
Ambachew Mekonnen was born in Tach Gayint, South Gondar, to a family of farmers.[2] His secondary education was interrupted due to the Ethiopian Civil War, when his school was closed, and he joined the Ethiopian People's Democratic Movement (EPDM, later ANDM) as a guerrilla in 1990. He completed his secondary studies via distance education and was appointed an administrator in Abichuna Gne'a and Sheno in North Shewa.
He went on to receive a BA in economics from the Ethiopian Civil Service University, an MPP from the Korea Development Institute, and an MSc in international finance and economic development and a PhD in Economics from the University of Kent, writing his dissertation on "Economic growth, trade and investment in sub-Saharan Africa: nexus and determinants”.[3]
Before his appointment as president of the Amhara Region, he served in various roles, including the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Ethiopia. He also served as an infrastructure adviser in the Prime Minister's office prior to his selection as regional President on 6 March 2019, replacing Gedu Andargachew.
Ambachew was shot dead on 22 June 2019 in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia, by a supposed hit squad during a coup attempt in the Amhara region.[4] His adviser was also killed in the coup.[5]