She Did That! 19-Year-Old Ethiopia’s Hasset Dereje Crowned Miss World Africa

Let’s hear it for Hasset Dereje, Ethiopia’s 19-year-old beauty queen who just redefined what it means to show up for your country. At the Miss World 2025 finals, she walked away with the title of first runner-up, and she is officially Miss World Africa.

This is a big deal. Ethiopia hadn’t seen this kind of placement in over two decades. Ethiopia’s history at Miss World traces back to 2003, when Hayat Ahmed made the country’s debut at the pageant in Sanya, China. That year, Ahmed placed in the top 20 and was honoured as Miss World Africa. Over two decades later, another young woman steps into that legacy with a new chapter of her own.

Hasset showed up and went all the way to the final four. And she did it while studying Chemical Engineering at Addis Ababa Science and Technology University. Multitalented is an understatement.

She competed through every round till she became the first runner-up.

When the results were in, she shared a message that had us all in our feels. “This title is not just mine,” she wrote on Instagram. “It belongs to Africa.” She thanked her family, her auntie (pass the tissues), and everyone who cheered her on.

Now crowned Miss World Africa, Hasset made it clear that she’s not stopping here. She plans to use her voice to represent African women everywhere and change the narrative.

We love a queen who knows her worth and uses it to uplift others.