Arba Minch University has signed a general Memorandum of Understanding with Geological Survey of Ethiopia (GSE) to collaborate in the field of research, academia, mining, exploration, capacity building, and exchange of expertise in identified areas for the span of 5-year in Gamo and Gofa Region. AMU President, Dr Damtew Darza, GSE Director General, Mrs Enatfenta Melaku, and Deputy Director General, Dr Dejene Hailemariam, inked the agreement in the presence of officials from both parties at President’s Office on 5th April, 2021. Click here to see the pictures

Dr Damtew lauding the effort made by University Industry Linkage and Technology Transfer Directorate to collaborate in research, trainings to build capacity, technology transfer, and internship etc. will be of great importance. Actually, Ethiopia has huge geological wealth spread across the nation and AMU-GSE tie-up will accelerate the process of exploration in those potential areas and further do extensive research to get precious minerals and valuable elements lying beneath the surface of earth to benefit the nation.

University Industry Linkage and Technology Transfer Directorate Director, Dr Tolera Seda, who will be managing the forthcoming agreements, said, today we have formalized joint collaboration; soon after assessing all aspects and prioritizing areas, we will ink specific agreements. Prior to that both parties will constitute Term of Reference (ToR) that will govern every specific pact; actually, there is huge potential and scope of collaboration in different areas and hope gradually in the stipulated timeframe it will be carried out.

He further added that we will work in the areas of community service, short & long-term trainings to build mutual capacity, staff exchange and even AMU may give scholarship to their professionals to pursue undergraduate or Master programs, he stressed.

The overall objective of this 5-year-long pact is to maintain collaborative efforts in institutional capacity building, human resource development, research, technology transfer, internship for students, exchange of professionals, lectures and seminars, etc.

It’s learnt that on collaborative training participatory signatories will devote intellect and skill; they will exchange scientific staff, researchers from both sides will involve in different consultancy services. Both partners can develop ideas for joint projects and look for public or external funding while project proposed for external funding may have more stakeholders.

On financial provision, both parties responsible for financing joint projects must comply with government rules and regulations. Both are supposed to constitute evaluation, monitoring and reporting system that will oversee collaborative activities and annually report about it; similarly, the permanent secretariat will set meetings’ agenda. The breach of agreements by either party will invite strict disciplinary measures.

GSE Director General, Mrs Enatfenta Melaku, shedding light on recent pact, said, we will involve in research as we have mineral, hydro-geological and mapping departments; we are not fully depending on gemstone and other mineral exploration; we have to work more in this area; currently, we are exporting to India. In near future, we may go into gemstone jewelry as its value will increase its value by 40% and export to different nations and earn more revenue.

Deputy Director General, Dr Dejene Hailemariam, informed that GSE is working on gold exploration in Gujji in south Ethiopia and other parts since long; in that regard, we are collaborating with American, Canadian and Australian companies. Specifically, tie-up with AMU will enable us to continue to explore gemstone, launch prospecting of gold in Gamo and Gofa regions; we will make use of laboratories like we have well-equipped hydrological laboratory that will help us to even go into water research. Therefore, after prioritized areas, we will have term of reference and then will go into specific agreements.

He informed GSE’s professionals had reviewed 2 Master programs in Petrology and Environmental Geo-Hazard recently launched in AMU and working on 5 key areas such as Geothermal, Geo-Hazard, Basic Science-geo Mapping, exploration of industrial minerals, metals, gemstones, etc.; we will share collected data with AMU and even make use of our well-equipped laboratories in different joint projects.

(Communication Affairs Directorate)