Mr. Henok Tesfaye Tefera is a distinguished public prosecutor specializing in civil, commercial and investment justice matters in Ethiopia, with over 15 years of extensive experience in his profession. He is a graduate of Bahirdar University School of Law with a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree, where he excelled as an outstanding student. Further advancing his academic credentials, he earned a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree from the University of Amsterdam and a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Addis Ababa University. Additionally, he has undertaken specialized courses and trainings at prestigious international institutions, enhancing his expertise in the legal profession.
Mr. Henok commenced his career as a public prosecutor and has steadily advanced to his current position as Director General of the Civil Justice Administration Directorate General, a role he has held since September 2019. Throughout his tenure, he has served in various capacities, including criminal and civil justice matters prosecutor, Arbitration and International cases coordinator, and Deputy Director of the department since 2009/10, demonstrating unwavering leadership. Mr. Henok is widely recognized for his dedication to work, excellence, and strong ethical standards, as attested by many who have observed his professional conduct. His remarkable leadership qualities and excellence have earned him and the department successive recognition from the Ministry.
Over the past 15 years, Mr. Henok has played a pivotal role in providing legal counsel, negotiating, drafting and reviewing contractual documents for the federal government and its institutions mega-projects, and overseeing civil, commercial and investment matters of significant national importance. He has been at the forefront in advising the bilateral and multi-sector international and national legal issues and representing the Republic and its agencies in negotiations in both domestic and international forums. With a strong background in research, legal analysis, litigation and policy formulation, Mr. Henok has continuously applied his skills to enhance Ethiopia’s legal framework, particularly in the civil justice administration. He has also served as an arbitrator and mediator in a significant number of cases of national importance because of his tremendous skill in dispute resolution. His expertise extends to international arbitration and litigation, where he has been serving as legal counsel representing Ethiopia and various government institutions on Investment and commercial arbitration initiated before international institutional and ad hoc tribunals. He has also represented government institutions before courts of foreign jurisdictions. Mr. Henok has also been an instrumental team member in the preparation and presentation of Ethiopia’s human rights reports before the United Nations and other international treaty committees. He played a pivotal role in the development of various laws and working procedures. He designed a system within his department to ensure that federal government institutions receive the necessary support from ministry of justice following supervisory visits by public prosecutors. In addition to this, he has been sharing his experiences and knowledge with his fellow prosecutors, thereby contributing to the development of emerging prosecutors who can learn from his expertise. By providing appropriate leadership, he played a leading role in carrying out the tasks and mission of ensuring the public interest entrusted to the Ministry of Justice in balanced and appropriate level of focus. With his more than 15 years of work experience, Mr. Henok has performed his duties with great efficiency, defending the nation’s interests, focusing on civil justice administration. He is still prepared to continue in his momentous role.
