Mahder Akalu is a highly skilled communication, research, and project coordination expert with over 11 years of experience in marketing, gender studies, education, and media. She has worked extensively with consultancy firms, national and international development organizations, and research institutions.
As a Young Expert (YEPer) in Agro-Food Batch 18, she has received international training in the Netherlands on communications, entrepreneurship, intercultural leadership, and contextualization. Mahder has a strong background in media relations, event organization, stakeholder engagement, and research, particularly in qualitative and quantitative data collection, Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs).
She has served as an Associate Consultant at Impact for Sustainability (I4S) and Ankuar Data, leading various projects in communication, gender research, and monitoring & evaluation. Additionally, she has been a TV program host for Meqenet, a show by Setaweet Movement, advocating for Ethiopian feminism and social change.
Her educational background includes a Master’s in Documentary Linguistics and Culture, Bachelor’s in Folklore from Addis Ababa University and an ongoing Bachelor’s in Business Management from Bahir Dar University. Mahder is fluent in Amharic and English and has expertise in social media management, content production, translation, and project implementation.
With a dynamic and results-driven approach, Mahder is passionate about driving impact in gender equality, development communication, and capacity-building initiatives.
