Former Innovation Minister, Getahun Mekuria, Joins Blockchain Foundation

Getahun Mekuria (Ph.D.), former Minister of Innovation and Technology, has joined the XRP Ledger Foundation, a nonprofit entity that aims to accelerate the development and adoption of the XRP Blockchain.

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Getahun, who joined the foundation as an advisor, will specialize in the Foundation’s efforts in Africa.

Getahun, who holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering, was the Minister of Innovation and Technology (MInT) since 2019. In 2020, he was appointed as the Minister of Education (MoE) and served in the position until October 2021. He was also the head of the former Ministry of Science and Technology before the Ministry was restructured into MInT.

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In his time in office, Getahun has been involved in different Blockchain initiatives. In May 2018, Getahun signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with IOHK, the company behind the Cardano Blockchain, to introduce blockchain technology to agritech.

In addition, it was during his time at the Ministry of Education that, Cardano entered a partnership with the Ministry to develop a blockchain-based national ID system.

The XRP Ledger Foundation which was established in 2020, with an initial donation of $6.5 million, supports the development of an XRP Ledger ecosystem that encompasses the involvement of developers, public and private enterprises, and social initiatives.

XRP Blockchain was developed by San Francisco-based blockchain payments company Ripple Labs, on which the XRP cryptocurrency runs.

Ripple’s main process is similar to the SWIFT system for international money and security transfers, which is used by banks and financial middlemen dealing across currencies.

According to Capital, an online trading platform, as of 1 December 2022, XRP is the seventh-largest cryptocurrency with a market capitalization of over $20.1bn