Melat Tekaligne

Melat Tekaligne is a strategy and development leader with over 16 years of experience in business and financial consulting, strategy development, and policy reforms advisory and change management. Her work has focused on multiple sectors but mostly focused on agriculture, health and manufacturing. She currently serves as a Senior Programme Officer in the Policy and Advocacy team at the Gates Foundation, where she supports the Foundation’s priorities in Ethiopia by advancing policy reforms, innovative financing, and institutional strengthening to accelerate sustainable development outcomes.

Alongside her development work, Melat is the co-founder and a leader at Aifa Foods, an Ethiopian agribusiness committed to reducing post-harvest losses, expanding market opportunities for farmers, and building sustainable food value chains. She is passionate about bridging development and enterprise to create commercially viable, scalable solutions that improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers while fostering inclusive economic growth.