Tizita Belachew

Tizita Belachew is the chief of VOA’s Horn of Africa service, which broadcasts to Ethiopia, Eritrea and diaspora communities throughout the world in the Amharic, Afaan Oromo and Tigrigna languages. Prior to becoming the service chief, Tizita spent 7 years as managing editor, developing the daily story lineups and providing editorial oversight of the content and production of the service’s multimedia programming. Under her leadership the service was able to increase its weekly audience to 12.3 percent.

Born and raised in Ethiopia, Tizita came to the United States in August 1973 to pursue a college education. She received a Bachelor of Arts in radio, TV and film and a Master of Education from Howard University in Washington, D.C. One of Tizita’s significant career achievements was her role in the launch of the Afaan Oromo language broadcasts in 1996 – the first of its kind outside of Ethiopia. The program quickly gained popularity among listeners and expanded from 15 to 30 minutes per day.

For her many contributions to VOA and its mission, Tizita has received a number of agency achievement awards, including three Gold Medal Awards.