Addis Ababa University (AAU) and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) jointly reached an agreement on research cooperation and capacity building at Ethiopian Institute of Architecture, Building Construction and City Development (EiABC) on October 9, 2023.

Samuel Kifle (PhD), AAU’s Interim President in his keynote speech said, “In recent times, universities in both countries have been working together more and more, increasing the scale and effect of their projects.”

Dr. Samuel claimed, “We are into a new phase of higher education development. The Government has both the will and commitment to the creation of autonomous universities and AAU is given a great privilege to be the first autonomous grand university in Ethiopia.”

He stated that AAU is anticipated to achieve complete autonomy over the next two to three years through implementing a new system of administration and structure that would enable it to be more innovative and competitive university in the horizon.

“In this new era that saw the creation of the independent AAU, we will continue to improve the calibre and impact of current partnerships, make sure that all of our development partners effectively and responsibly use grants, and investigate new partnerships both domestically and internationally to raise our profile and resource bases,” Dr. Samuel added.

Hans Henric Lundquist, Ambassador of Sweden to Ethiopia, in his speech on Ethio-Swedish relations and achievements, admired the Ethiopian Government’s proclamation towards granting public universities for the implementation of autonomization.

Heyaw Terefe (PhD), Director at EiABC, said in his introductory address that EiABC envisions the strong potential for shared vision and mutual development by Ethiopia and Sweden using their professional and scientific community.

According to Dr. Heyaw, EiABC strives for building the existing potentials to become in the transformation of the construction industry not only in Ethiopia but also in the Horn of Africa. He stated, “We preserve the Ethio-Swedish Institute of Building Technology (ESIBT) traditions as a national heritage and build EiABC as a model for Africa.”

Web journalist: Theodros Shewangizaw

Photo: Fikremariam Beyene

Editor: Abraham Girmay