Jürgen Greiling holds a PhD Agricultural Science and a Masters of Science degree, both from the University of Göttingen, Germany. Jürgen is currently on sabbatical leave from the University of Hohenheim Stuttgart, Germany where he works as the Executive Director of the Centre for Agriculture in the Tropics and Subtropics. Prior to joining SNV Ethiopia, he worked as GTZ agricultural advisor with the private sector in Ethiopia. He had previously held senior positions in FAO and the International Agricultural Research System and affiliated institutions in western and eastern Africa.  

Jürgen joined SNV Ethiopia in January, 2006. Within the “Support to Business Organisations and their Access to Markets” value chain development programme, his work focuses on agribusiness development and food processing in three agricultural value chains (honey and beeswax, milk and milk products, edible oil and oilseeds). His major achievements are the support of the Ethiopian “Third Country Listing” for the export of Honey to the European Union as well as the development of a new product, safflower petals, and its first export to Germany. Having worked in Ethiopia since 1983, Jürgen has linked SNV Ethiopia to a well established network of partners in the public and private sector in Ethiopia and the Region. He is a member of a network international and local NGOs, focusing on community development through the provision of basic services and income-generation. The President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia recently recognised his contribution to the development of his host country.  

Meskerem Shiferaw, Advisor Economic Development, Honey Value Chain

Meskerem has a Masters degree in Development Economics, a BA in Economics and postgraduate diplomas in Development and Integrated Rural Regional Development planning.  

Before joining SNV Ethiopia, Meskerem was engaged in programme planning and design, research, proposal writing, financing and budgeting, monitoring and evaluation for various national and international organisations, including the Ethiopian Social Rehabilitation and Development Fund, UNDP, UNFPA, the Economic Commission for Africa and the African Union. She joined SNV Ethiopia in 2005, working in the education sector at first and currently working as a market linkage and business organisation advisor. She advises on the set-up of outgrowing schemes, linking technical training to business practices and improvement of business operations. She is also involved as lead advisor in an SNV Ethiopia/GTZ partnership programme in capacity building of Business Development Providers and Young Professionals.

Meskerem envisions seeing improved quality in honey, oilseeds and milk resulting in better living standards of the poor farmers, which will in turn encourage them to further strive for quality and increased production. 

Mahlet Yohannes, Advisor Economic Development, Milk & Milk product Value Chain

Mahlet holds a Masters of Arts degree in International Business and Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management. She acquired her initial professional experience in marketing, working for a local pharmaceutical company and for an international energy company (Total). She also worked on the Social Franchising Programme of Maries Stopes International.

Mahlet currently works as the lead advisor for the milk value chain. In her line of work, she focuses on enabling the private sector to become knowledgeable, efficient and competitive, each in its own sector. She is driven by her wish to work closely with producers and processors in the dairy sector and make use of this opportunity to bring change in their lives.

Melat Getahun, Advisor, Economic Development, PSNP Plus

Melat holds a Masters degree in Business Administration and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Economics from Addis Ababa University. 

She has worked for USAID in the Assets and Livelihoods Transition Office for six months before going back to school to pursue her master’s degree. For almost two years before joining SNV/Ethiopia, she was lecturing at Admas University College. Currently Melat is working for PSNP Plus program. 

Melat joined SNV Ethiopia in June 2009. She aspires to contribute a lot for SNV’s efforts to bring in sustainable development. She believes she can do almost any thing if she puts her mind to it and then the sky would be the limit. 

Eldad Girma, Advisor Economic Development, PSNP plus

Eldad Girma has both Masters and Bachelor of Arts degrees in Economics.  She has three years of work experience with different international NGOs within and outside the country on different areas of developmental works. Eldad has worked with World Vision International as an Agricultural Facilitator and with Compassion International as Disaster Response and Micro-Enterprise Development expert.

Beside that she has worked in Kenya with Consumer Unity and Trust Society - International in areas of international trade and economic development. Eldad has also experience working in areas of gender in the Eastern Africa region in her engagement in the young leadership program with The Eastern Africa Sub- regional Supportive Initiative for advancement of women.

Eldad joined SNV in June 2009 as an advisor for economic development in the PSNP plus program. She aspires to contribute greatly to poverty reduction in Ethiopia and also in the region, Africa, through economically empowering people to be self sufficient.  

Eyerusalem Regassa, Advisor, Economic Development, Honey value chain

Eyerusalem holds an Economics Masters Degree in Applied Trade Policy Analysis stream and a Bachelor Degree in Economics. She has three years of experience in teaching and administration.

She worked as an economics and general business teacher as well earned the position administration head at Dandii Boru School. She has also worked for a brief period of time at the National Bank of Ethiopia as a Junior Research Officer. 

Eyerusalem joined SNV on May 2009. She has a mission to help others and make a better change in people’s life in any way her ability allows her and by developing her knowledge further.

Nicholas Nyathi, Senior Advisor, Value Chain Development

Nicholas holds a Bachelor (Hons) degree in Business Studies, professional qualifications in Chartered Secretaries and an Executive Masters Degree in Business Administration focusing on the role of small to medium enterprises in economic development and poverty alleviation.

He has provided advisory services in the areas of business development services and financial linkages; writing and analysis of project proposals and entrepreneurship development programs. He has facilitated market linkages in both domestic and foreign markets, formulation of trans-national business strategies that take into account cultural traits and beliefs. He has led SNV programs in alluvial mining and Local Economic Development

Nicholas joined SNV Zimbabwe in December 1998. He led SNV Zimbabwe’s livestock program as a senior advisor in the goat value chain and pioneered the auction model for shoats. He was instrumental in the formation of the goat forum, which comprises ICRISAT, SNV Matopo Research Centre, ORAP and Ministry of Agriculture Nicholas enjoys employing innovative and enriching approaches to complex problems.

Nicholas joined SNV Ethiopia in October 2009. He coordinates the PSNP Plus Project, which is implemented by consortia of Care, REST, CRS and SC-UK. The project is funded by USAID. Before joining SNV Ethiopia, he worked for SNV Zimbabwe for ten years.

Paulos Desalegn, Advisor, Economic Development, Horticulture Value Chain

Paulos holds a Masters of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics, with specialisation in Agricultural and Food Marketing, a Bachelor of Science Degree in Agricultural Economics, and a Diploma in Accounting.

Paulos has more than 10 years experience working in the areas of agricultural value chains, marketing, private sector enterprises and rural development. Prior to joining SNV Ethiopia he worked as Marketing and Agri-business Advisor and Trading Department Head in a private consultancy and trading company. He conducted private consultancies for different international and national organizations. He was a researcher in socioeconomic, agricultural production, market research and natural resource projects at the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organisation, and Programme Service Head in the Middle Awash Agricultural Development Enterprise, involved at that time in banana, cotton and vegetables production and trading.

Paulos joined SNV Ethiopia in August 2005, assuming different responsibilities at region and country level in MSEs development and strengthening producers, service providers and other actors in different value chains. He is now the lead advisor for fruits in general and for the pineapple value chain in particular. He is also the Ethiopia and horticulture value chain leader.

In his profession and daily life Paulos is driven by a strong wish to see changes in the lives of the poor and promote pro-poor inclusive business models and value chains led by strong private actors. His ambition is to introduce a working pro-poor business model that will influence the theories and practices of academicians and practitioners in Ethiopia and other developing countries.

Selamawit H/Michael, Advisor Economic Development, PSNP Plus

Selamawit holds a Masters Degree in Business Administration specialising in international business and management and a Masters of Arts Degree in International business from. She also holds a bachelors degree in Economics.

She joined SNV Ethiopia as junior economic advisor in June 2009, Central portfolio.  She works mainly with the clients of honey and milk value chains in improving their production, productivity and income. Before joining SNV in 2009, Selamawit was working with the Engineering capacity building program, as a counterpart.  She later joined the Ethiopian Catholic secretariat in the areas of organizational and programmatic capacity assessment and system development.

Selamawit aspires to see a vibrant private sector that contributes to poverty reduction and builds the image of the country. 

Piet L. Visser, Senior Advisor Economic Development

Piet holds a Masters degree in Agricultural Science and a Postgraduate diploma in Agribusiness for Development. He has 20 years of professional experience. He worked for SNV in Niger, Tanzania and Uganda in advisory and project management capacities. After enjoying a sabbatical year, he joined for two years Novib in the Netherlands as programme officer East-Africa in economic development, corporate responsibility and trade, but returned to SNV in Ethiopia in 2006.

Within SNV Ethiopia he provides advisory support to business organisations in the fruit value chain and is the learning coordinator value chain development. Currently he is also the expertise leader economic development for SNV Ethiopia and as such member of the SNV East and Southern Africa regional knowledge development team on economic development.

His main areas of expertise are networking, market development and technology transfer within agricultural value chains. For him the key to economic development in Ethiopia is strengthening the link between livelihood and business development.

Tigist Dagnew, Advisor Economic Development, Horticulture Value Chain

Tigist graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. Since May 2007, Tigist has been part of the team of four advisors in the horticulture value chain in SNV Ethiopia’s Southern Portfolio and Lead Advisor of the apple value chain.  She is mainly involved in producer groups strengthening, fruit quality improvement and promotion of the apple fruit.

Tigist wants to see locally produced apples efficiently marketed and taking a major share of the local market, to finally contribute to the improvement in peoples’ lives.

Temoteos Hayesso, Advisor Economic Development, Horticulture Value Chain

Timoteos holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in plant, a Masters of Science Degree in Rural Development and a Masters of Arts Degree in Urban Management and Development from the International Housing Institute in the Netherlands.

Timoteos worked in the field of agricultural development in different capacities and at different levels (agronomist, trainer of agricultural development agents, head of district agricultural development offices, department head at the Sidama zonal agriculture development office). He was the deputy head of the Trade, Industry and Urban Development coordination bureau, and a technical team leader in the Southern Region. He also has experience in micro financing from working in Sidama micro finance S.C. as head of the planning and operations department.

Currently, Timoteos is the lead advisor for the mango value chain in the Southern Portfolio of SNV Ethiopia. The chain’s focus is on increasing mango production, improved marketing, leadership, capacity-building and establishing market linkages. He also assists government organisations in strengthening their capacity to deliver effective extension services to smallholder producers.    

He is driven by his ambition to foster participation and strengthened capacity of the marginalised and poor groups, thereby empowering them to take charge in the development activities concerning them.