Selamawit Engida Abdella

Selam is a Fellow at the African Observatory on Responsible AI.

Selamawit Engida (Selam) Abdella completed her MPhil in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge as a Mastercard Scholar in 2024, focusing her research on the role of gender in Ethiopia's digital agriculture vision. She previously earned her BA (Combined Honours) in International Development Studies and Political Science from Dalhousie University in Canada. Following her undergraduate studies, she worked as a Research Coordinator on a project examining the impact of digital agriculture on Ethiopian smallholder farmers. Selam also worked as a Strategic Communications Specialist in Ethiopia's agricultural sector, where she communicated agricultural research to a broader public and facilitated collaborations among various stakeholders. As a fellow at the Observatory, she will research the development of comprehensive AI frameworks to assess the impact of AI on women's economic empowerment in Africa. Her work will specifically explore the role of digital technologies in agrarian-based economies and their effects on women in Africa engaged in nature-based livelihoods.