Addis Ababa University (AAU) Deans, Directors and Staff visited Bole Lemi Industrial Park, located in the Southern end part of the capital, Addis Ababa, on March 31, 2022.

The University organized the program in collaboration with the Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC) based on the MoU signed on January 25, 2022 to work together on innovation, research, knowledge, skills and technology transfer as well as capacity building.

Bole Lemi Industrial Park was founded in 2014 on 327.4 hectares of land and is the first of 13 industrial parks built by IPDC. The park includes several textile and garment manufacturing industries on which foreign investors are highly involved, one malt factory and another one COVID-19 test kit manufacturing factory in it.

Shumey Berhie (PhD), Director of Industry-Linkage and Technology Transfer at Addis Ababa University said that, in accordance with the agreement with IPDC, the current visit is the vital initial point to  think, plan and implement future common tasks in joint venture.

“Students internship is the first plan which helps our students to participate in practical workplace and improve their skills in different factories. Expanding such activities in industrial parks allows students to be competent and easily employed after graduation,” Dr. Shumey added.

Mentioning externship program is the other plan, teachers will go to the industry parks to do practical activities and participate in counseling, training as well as adaptive and thematic researchers to alleviate problems in the works of the industrial parks,” he insisted.

According to Dr. Shumey, another aspect of the focus is to recruit qualified and experienced staff from the industrial parks to participate in the teaching and learning process at the University.Addisu Mamo, Head of Transformation Department at IPDC Chief Executive Office on his part said that in the 13 industrial parks that are accessible in different parts of the country, there are over 85,000 employees which the Universities are the major contributors to the supply of manpower directly to these industrial parks.

According to Mr. Addisu, universities can support in providing policy dialogues and alternative government policies to strengthen university-industry linkage in all aspects, enable industrial parks more involved in the international economy and engage local investors and youth in the industrial parks activities.

Reporter: Tsion Aysheshim

Photo: Fikremariam Beyene

Editor: Abraham Girmay