Gashaw Aberra

Gashaw Aberra is the Manager for Public Transport and Electrification at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) Africa and serves as the organization's Ethiopia Country Representative. Based in Addis Ababa, he leads initiatives that advance sustainable urban mobility, public transport reform, active mobility, and transport electrification across Ethiopia and the African continent.

With over a decade of experience in urban and transport planning, Gashaw has played a key role in shaping the future of mobility in Ethiopia. Before joining ITDP in 2018, he served for six years as the Team Leader for Transport and Road Network Planning at the Addis Ababa City Master Plan Project Office, where he was responsible for the city's road network planning, mass transit systems, parking strategies, terminal development, and stakeholder coordination.

At ITDP Africa, Gashaw has led and contributed to a wide range of transformative projects, including the development of Ethiopia's National Urban Street Design Manual, non-motorized transport strategies, bikeshare feasibility studies, e-BRT business models, and street improvement programmes that prioritize safe, inclusive, and people-centred urban environments. More recently, he has become a leading advocate for electric mobility, supporting governments, development partners, and cities in accelerating the transition to cleaner transport systems and integrating electrification into urban mobility planning.

Gashaw is a respected speaker, researcher, and advisor on sustainable transport and climate-resilient urban development. He regularly contributes to regional and international conferences, policy dialogues, and publications, helping shape the conversation around public transport, active mobility, and electric mobility across Africa.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Addis Ababa University and a Master's degree in Urban Administration and Planning from the University of Seoul, South Korea, where he specialized in transport and urban planning.