Dr. Tsedeke Abate

Tsedeke Abate has a wide range of experience in agricultural research and development as leader and researcher at national, regional and international levels. He led the Drought Tolerant Maize for Africa (DTMA) and CIMMYT’s maize seed systems in Africa between April 2012 and July 2017, working across Africa from his base in Nairobi, Kenya. Between February 2008 and March 2012 he led the Tropical Legumes II project of ICRISAT that was implemented across Africa and India. Tsedeke was Director General of the Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research between December 2003 and March 2007, where he introduced a systems approach to agricultural research and development and spearheaded scaling up and scaling out improved technologies. He has served as a member of high profile international and regional organizations. Tsedeke has published widely on agricultural research and development issues across Africa and beyond. He obtained his PhD in biological sciences from Simon Fraser University in Canada and his MSc and BSc degrees in Agriculture from University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.