Tribute to Professor Okbazghi Yohannes
Dr. Okbazghi Yohannes 1951-2025
It is with deep sadness that we share with the Eritrean academic community that we have lost one of our brightest scholars. Professor Okbazghi was a prolific scholar who published numerous articles and books about various subjects. Among his most notable books are:
- Eritrea, a Pawn in World Politics, 1991.
- The United States and the Horn of Africa, 1997.
- Political Economy of an Authoritarian Modern State and Religious Nationalism in Egypt, 2001.
- Anatomy of an African Tragedy: Political, Economic, and Foreign Policy Crisis in Post-Independence Eritrea (with Kidane Mengisteab), 2005.
- Water Resources and Inter-Riparian Relations in the Nile Basin, 2008.
- The Political Economy of Necessity and the Biolimnological Vulnerability of Lake Victoria, 2014.
- The Biofuels Deception: Going Hungry on the Green Carbon Diet, 2018.
Professor Okbazghi was also a public scholar who was selfless in sharing with his compatriots in conferences and workshops his insights on the political economy and governance challenges of his birth country, Eritrea. Professor Okbazghi was a member of EFND. His visionary presentation on the future governance of Eritrea at the EFND (Eritreans for Facilitating National Dialogue) conference in Vienna, Virginia, USA, October 23-25, 2014, was memorable. Professor Okbazghi prepared the EFNd paper – Proposal Platform, Internal working Memorandum in October 2014.
Professor Okbazghi’s calm and thoughtful inputs in small size discussions and conferences is fondly remembered by his colleagues and attendees. The Eritrean community will miss him and his wisdom greatly.
We send our condolences to Tamara, his loving wife, and daughter, Keren.
EFND members
