Dr Shifa Ballo joined icipe since 1995 as a researcher, project manager and Acting Head of icipe Ethiopia Office. He holds an MSc degree in agricultural management (1991) and a PhD (1994) in agricultural economics from Hungary.

Between 1995 and 1997 he was a team leader for the European Union funded tsetse/trypanosomiasis control project in Wolayita Sodo and Ghibe Valley. From 1998 to 2002 he was coordinating the ADC supported integrated program called BioVillage Initiative implemented in Southern Regional State (Gurage Zone). Between 2003 and 2007 he coordinated the Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC) and Biovision Foundation supported community based tsetse/trypanosomiasis rollback initiative, integrated income generating programs (beekeeping) in Gurage Zone (Luke), Jimma Zone (Tolay) and in Asossa of Benshangul Gumuz Region.

Between 2008 and 2010, Dr Shifa was the manager for the icipe/agri-service collaborative EU/TROCIR/CAFOD funded community based adaptive tsetse/trypanosomiasis control project implemented in Gelana Valley of Guji Zone of Oromia Region and Amaro and Burji special Woredas of the Southern Region.

Since 2012 he has been coordinating the Biovision, IFAD and EU supported beekeeping projects implementing in Tolay, Tigray and Southwestern Ethiopia. He has also been involved in the testing and dissemination of the Biovision, DFID and EU funded Push- Pull Technology in Ethiopia to control maize and sorghum Stemborer and Striga weed.