This high-profile AMU-Institutional University Cooperation Program facilitated by VLIRUOS for the year 2017-2021, will be formally launched in a function to be hosted at Main Campus on 28th March, 2017. Project leaders from AMU, Flemish counterparts and other stakeholders will grace the function.
The event that will mark the beginning of first 5-year phase from 28th to 31st March has slew of programs. The first day will be entirely devoted to launching, while remaining three days will see activities like the selection process of PhD candidates, field visit for the visiting Belgium and Ethiopian stakeholders to projects’ catchment areas and all AMU campus visits that includes laboratories, ICT and other facilities, etc.
Flemish partners, Prof. Roel Merckx, Mrs Martine Dekoninck, Ann Hasendonckx, Prof. Miet Maertens and Prof. Luc De Meester from KU Leuven; Prof. Frederik Questier and Prof. Matthieu Kervyn from Vrije Universiteit Brussels; Prof. Jean Pierre Van Geertruyden from Antwerp and Prof. Geert Janssens from Gent University will grace the function.
AMU-IUC Program launching having assumed great strategic importance in this region is expected to be attended by Belgium Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr Didier Nagant De Deuxchaisnes, representatives from Ministry of Education, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance and Economic Cooperation, Director of Ethiopian Agricultural Research Institute, regional and local authorities, etc.
Dr Guchie Gulie, the overall coordinator, said, it’s important to announce the cooperation of such monumental proportion as many governmental and non-governmental stakeholders will be working with AMU and looking for the results of the projects.
He further adds that these projects are drafted on the identified issues of the region and the contribution of Flemish government to build AMU’s capacity deserved to be appreciated.
AMU being overwhelmed for bagging such a stupendous cooperation has constituted AMU-ICU Program Launch Organizing Committee along with few sub-committees for the successful organization of this event. AMU President, Dr Damtew Darza will head the main committee, Dr Guchie Gulie, the overall program coordinator from AMU is his deputy; all vice presidents and Corporate Communication Directorate’s Director, Mr Fissha Bekele are other members.
Similarly, Call, Reception and Facilitation Sub-Committee to be headed by Dr Guchie Gulie with three others as members, Logistics, Promotion, Campus Decoration, Finance and Purchase and Security sub-committees have been assigned with specific tasks.
It’s learnt that with AMU-IUC launching, diversified activities on two fronts will get kicked off, in which selected PhD candidates will directly start working in the field while others will go for pre-doctorate programs to get their capacity built.
This cooperation stands to serve two objectives i.e. academic and developmental. To begin with the capacity of academic staff will be built through teaching and training to Master and PhD level in Belgium by high-caliber Flemish professors. It will also lead to improvement of laboratories, Information and Communication Technology facilities and other areas in AMU.
The first phase will primarily identify challenges by researchers wherein PhD students will conduct research to create scientific information for policy formulation. And on the basis of accepted policies of these developmental activities, AMU will intervene for the sustainable development in those identified areas, Dr Guchie stressed.
(Corporate Communication Directorate)