President Commends AAU-SIDA Cooperation

Addis Ababa University and SIDA, Sweden’s government agency for development cooperation, today concluded the Annual Review and Planning Meeting of AAU-SIDA Projects. The diverse activities undertaken by the partners were reviewed and considered vital to enable a more informed and effective approach to SIDA’s continued support provision. The review addressed key issues of institutional capacity building, infrastructural and research management support by the Swedish Agency. The partners were positive about AAU’s institutional commitment and capacity to manage and support the SIDA-funded projects.

Speaking at the event, President of AAU, Dr Samuel Kifle commended the AAU-SIDA Projects, which he said would provide renewed impetus for remodelling Addis Ababa University as an autonomous flagship research university.

 “Today, PhD graduates of AAU have increased from less than 10 per year before 2008 to over 200 per year now in all doctoral programs. The University has embarked on a new internationalization agenda and it is not uncommon to find students from African countries coming to AAU to pursue their high-level training goals, indicating the competitiveness of AAU in the international academic arena”, the president said.

He added that SIDA supported projects have enormous spill-over effects on enhancing the teaching-learning process in all AAU masters and undergraduate programs, and other national universities, as well as the quality of service in ministries, international organizations and NGOs in Ethiopia.

For his part, Professor Brook Lemma, AAU-SIDA Projects Coordinator at AAU, stated that AAU-SIDA projects of 2018-2025 have immensely contributed to the enhancement of economic and management policies, development of cultures and languages, and assurance of sustainable use and conservation of natural resources, among others.