Mezgebu Werku Ayalew is an accomplished Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) professional with over fifteen years of experience in project management, evaluation system design, and results measurement across Ethiopia’s development and humanitarian sectors. His expertise spans agribusiness, market systems, livelihoods, and social development initiatives with leading organizations such as NIRAS Finland, Oxfam GB, MEDA, Plan International, and Facilitator for Change.
He has designed and implemented results-based M&E frameworks for major donor programs funded by FCDO, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Global Affairs Canada, the EU, and others. As M&E Advisor for NIRAS’s CASA as well as the AgroBIG II Program, he led the development of a comprehensive monitoring system for agribusiness value chains, managed large-scale baseline and outcome surveys, and produced analytical reports to guide adaptive program management. His evaluation portfolio includes serving as lead consultant for the Coffee Alliance for Ethiopia (CAFE) project, GAIN’s Dairy Supply Chain Analysis, Bloomberg’s Financial Journalism Training, and led numerous assessments for AHA and NCL Consultancy sercice companies.
Mezgebu is highly skilled in digital data management, using KoBoToolbox, ODK, SPSS, STATA, and Power BI for survey design, data quality assurance, and visualization. He has managed data for over 30 surveys and facilitated training on Results-Based MEAL, gender integration, and value chain development. Certified in Advanced M&E (IMSIMBI, South Africa) and M&E of Development Interventions (Sambodhi, India), he combines analytical rigor, leadership, and contextual insight to drive evidence-based development and measurable impact in Ethiopia and beyond.