Dr Zelalem Assefa is Chief Executive Officer for ICT and Digital Education at the Ministry of Education in Ethiopia. He has a PhD in Computer Science from the University of South Africa. 

Dr Zelalem is responsible for leading digital transformation in the Ethiopian education sector. This includes formulating policies, strategies, laws and programs to achieve national vision and goals. His remit involves overseeing all Ethiopian public schools and public higher education institutions, as well as the students who are admitted to these institutions and the teachers who work at these institutions.

He works closely with regional leaders, institution leaders, private sector companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and departments across government to deliver on the national vision. He has been in this role for 8 years and is a director of the Ethiopian Education Research Network (EthERNet). 

Current major projects in his portfolio include the implementation of an education management information system, provision of connectivity for public schools, computer laptops for high schools, and capacity building for public school teachers.

Some of the key challenges Dr Zelalem plans to focus on during the fellowship include connectivity, devices, fit-for-purpose digital content, and funding digital literacy.