January 27, 2025, Arba Minch – Mr. David Wubs, Executive Manager of the International Centre for Frugal Innovation (ICFI), visited Arba Minch University (AMU) to review ongoing collaborative efforts and discuss opportunities for further strengthening the partnership.Click here to see more photos
During the visit, Mr. Wubs engaged with Dr. Teklu Wegayhu, AMU Vice President for Research and Cooperation, along with officials from AMU, Alliance College, and Arba Minch Polytechnic Satellite Institute.
Mr. Wubs highlighted the essence of frugal innovation, which emphasizes achieving more with fewer resources while integrating entrepreneurial, environmental, and socioeconomic dimensions. He emphasized the value of leveraging local knowledge, ideas, and resources to create impactful and sustainable solutions. Praising AMU's progress and warm hospitality, he described the university as an ideal setting to advance frugal innovation.
Dr. Teklu Wegayhu noted AMU's vision of becoming a research-led, autonomous university, emphasizing the importance of collaborations like this in achieving that goal. He highlighted AMU’s extensive infrastructure, which includes seven campuses, a growing staff profile, 34 PhD programs, 140 Master’s programs, and 75 undergraduate programs, making it an ideal foundation for fostering frugal innovation. He stated that such partnerships are essential for leveraging local resources, driving impactful research, and addressing societal challenges, pledging AMU’s full commitment to scaling up and strengthening the collaboration.
Dr. Tolera Seda, Director of Community Engagement and Industry Linkage, provided context for the collaboration, which began with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on October 18, 2024, involving AMU, Arba Minch Polytechnic Satellite Institute, Alliance College, and ICFI. He reported that the partnership has already trained 20 local innovators in frugal innovation practices.
Dr. Wondwossen Jerene, Director of AMU's Entrepreneurship Development and Incubation Center, emphasized the transformative potential of frugal innovation to deliver cost-effective solutions. He announced plans to launch a new incubation center with a dedicated wing for frugal innovation in the coming months. Dr. Wondwossen also proposed expanding the collaboration to include other universities in the Netherlands, leveraging ICFI’s network to promote frugal innovation globally.
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