Abigail Mengistu

Abigail Mengistu is a young professional with a strong interest in urban planning and socio-economic development in East Africa. Most recently, she served as an Associate Program Officer for the Africa team at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE), where she worked on initiatives related to peacebuilding, business advocacy, and the economic empowerment of marginalized groups under the organization’s Ethiopia portfolio. Prior to CIPE, Abigail gained diverse experience as a training intern at the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) in Addis Ababa, a Housing Analyst at Associates for International Research, Inc. (AIRINC), and a research assistant at Rwanda’s National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide.
Abigail holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs, with minors in African Studies and Urban Studies, from Northeastern University. During her undergraduate studies, she also participated in a summer program focused on urban justice in post-apartheid South Africa and studied abroad at the University of Cape Town. Abigail grew up in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she is currently based in Washington, D.C.