Berhanu Nega was born in 1958 in Debrezeit, Ethiopia. At the age of 17 he joined Addis Ababa University. During his freshman year, he participated in a student movement openly advocating for democracy and human right issues. The former oppressive military regime responded with a crackdown that resulted in the death of numerous student activists. Berhanu was forced to flee the country in order to avoid prosecution by the military authorities. He lived as a refugee in the Sudan for two years until he was granted political asylum by the United States.

While in the US, he completed his undergraduate studies in economics from State University of New York, at New Paltz. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the New School for Social Research, in New York City. During this time, he became the leading organizer of an annual conference on the "Horn of Africa" that assessed the political, social and economic conditions of the region. For over five years, the conference provided a forum for dialogue among political leaders, concerned citizens, policy analysts and researchers interested in developments in Eastern Africa.

Upon completion of his Ph.D. program, Berhanu began a career in academia. He joined the faculty of economics at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA, where he lectured in economics for three years. He has always been an avid reader and writer, and went to great lengths to keep himself abreast of the socio economic issues in Ethiopia. During this period, he founded Imbilta, a bi-monthly magazine serving as a forum for economic, political, social and current affairs in Ethiopia. In 1989, Berhanu married Dr. Nardos Minasse, and the two have been blessed with two children, Noah who is 7 and Iyassu who is 6.

In 1994 Berhanu and his family returned to Ethiopia with the hope of contributing to the economic and social developments of the country. While in Ethiopia, Berhanu became an entrepreneur and founded the Ethiopian Agro-Maize, Inc., A Fertilizer Producing Company, and Addis Village Family Home Builders, Inc. He is currently the chairman of the board for all three companies. Since his return to Ethiopia, Berhanu has been serving pro bono as a lecturer in Addis Ababa University's Economics Department. From 1996 to 2000, he served as the president of the Ethiopian Economic Association. He is currently the head of the Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute, a non-profit organization that he established less than a year ago. He is also an independent consultant for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and has other developmental projects underway.

Berhanu has delivered many lectures and published several articles and reviews on Ethiopian economic conditions and on how political and human right issues affect the economic development of a country. He is a highly sought-after speaker and panelist on social and economic issues in Ethiopia. It was his participation as a panelist in a public forum in which human rights and academic freedom issues were discussed, which led to his present arrest and imprisonment.