Wubit Agibe

Ethiopian warrior queen and educator who established the first girls' schools in the Horn of Africa during the 1830s

Wubit Agibe (c.1810-1876) was an Oromo military leader and educator who transformed education access in present-day Ethiopia. After leading guerrilla campaigns against Abyssinian expansion, she founded the Abba Gada School in Shewa province in 1838 - the first institution to educate girls alongside boys. Her pedagogical innovations included integrating Oromo oral traditions with written instruction.

Agibe's educational reforms were revolutionary for the time, as they emphasized:

• Gender equality in literacy
• Preservation of Oromo language
• Hands-on agricultural training

Her legacy influenced later movements like the 1880s Abba Mada schools network. A modern educational complex in Addis Ababa now bears her name. Historical records are preserved at the Oxford Institute of Ethiopian Studies.