Girma Tesfahun, post doctoral fellow based at CIMMYT’s office in Addis Ababa, was elected president of the Agricultural Economics Society of Ethiopia (AESE) for the next two years. The AESE’s general assembly elected Tesfahun at their 12th annual conference from 14-15 August 2009 in Addis Ababa. The executive committee has five members and includes senior economists from universities, national agricultural research programs, the private sector, and staff from the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) who are based in Addis Ababa.
“This appointment will help CIMMYT strengthen its collaboration with Ethiopian agricultural economists,” said Roberto La Rovere, CIMMYT impacts specialist, who recently relocated to Addis Ababa to support regional impact assessment efforts. “It may also provide opportunities for publishing Ethiopia-relevant work and facilitate partnerships with other research and development players in the region, especially given the new strength of the CIMMYT socioeconomic presence in Addis Ababa.” CIMMYT’s Olaf Erenstein also moved to Addis Ababa this year to fill the agricultural economist position within the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) Project.
