Hafkin moved to Ethiopia in 1975 with her husband, Berhanu Abebe, an Ethiopian classmate at Brandeis, and they lived in Addis Ababa for nearly 25 years, until 2000.

While her efforts with UNECA were focused on economic development in every African country, she noticed that information was basically inaccessible on the continent with data being shared by fax and postal delivery.

[6][4] In addition to her role with PADIS, she worked as a visiting professor at the University of Addis Ababa as the Chair of History from 1980–1981.

[6][4] In 2000, she left her position with the U.N. and returned to the United States with her husband so she could continue her work improving information access for women, one of her initial goals as a young researcher.

[4] Since retiring from academia, Hafkin still acts as a keynote speaker and gives lectures on the empowerment and participation of women in information technology.