The Ethiopian Academy of Sciences (EAS) held the 11th Annual regular session of its General Assembly on Saturday, November 26, 2022, on the premises of its Headquarters. The meeting opened with a moment of silence in memory of Academy Fellow the late Prof. Kassahun Berhanu, who passed away last year.
The meeting continued with the opening and welcoming remarks of the President, Prof. Tsige Gebre-Mariam, who also reported on the activities of the Board for the fiscal year 2021. In his speech, Prof. Tsige highlighted that the Academy had carried out several activities and achieved encouraging results.
The General Assembly officially inducted 21 Fellows elected in 2021 (14 Regular Fellows and 7 Associate Fellows). The new Fellows were introduced by their respective Working Group Chairpersons and warmly welcomed to the Academy by the General Assembly. The Assembly also elected 14 Regular and 7 Associate Fellows nominated by Working Groups for the 2022 election cycle.
At this special event, the General Assembly also elected Prof. Belay Kassa as the third new President of EAS. Prof. Belay replaces the outgoing President, Prof. Tsige Gebre-Mariam, who completed his six-year term. Prof. Belay thanked the Fellows for voting for him and said, “It is a great honor to be elected to lead the EAS.”
Prof. Tsige, the outgoing President, said, “I am delighted that Prof. Belay has been elected as the next President of EAS. I thank him for taking on the responsibility of taking EAS to the next level and wish him well in his future endeavors.”
The Academy also elected its Principal Vice President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Four members of the EAS Board.
The General Assembly discussed and approved the Academy’s Performance Report for FY 2021 and Annual Plan for FY 2022 presented by Executive Director Prof. Teketel Yohannes, as well as the Audit Report on the EAS Financial Statements for 2021 presented by the External Auditor.
The Academy’s annual plan for FY 2022 was also discussed and approved by the General Assembly.
The draft of the third strategic plan that the Academy will implement in the next five years was presented to the Assembly, and members approved it with few comments. e.
The Academy inaugurated a plaque prepared by the EAS Creative Art Center, featuring a definition of “academy” written 80 years ago by the popular late 20th-century writer, diplomat, and minister Blaten Geta Hiruy Woldeselassie.
Finally, the customary induction lecture titled “Water Resource Technologies to Promote Sustainability: The Nile Basin Perspectives” was delivered by Prof. Esayas Alemayehu. During the lecture, Prof. Esayas pointed out that while Nile Basin countries have abundant water resources, countries along the basin still face significant freshwater crises. The meeting ended with the closing remarks given by Prof. Teketel Yohannes, the Executive Director of EAS.