Professor Belay Kassa, President of the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences (EAS), addressed the gathering by reflecting on the historic legacy of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Library and the promising future of Ethiopia’s higher education sector.
He highlighted the progress made by Addis Ababa University (AAU) and nine other public research universities as they advance toward greater institutional autonomy. Professor Belay also expressed his appreciation to the stakeholders whose commitment and collaboration contributed to the successful implementation of the Autonomy 2.0 Project.
In his remarks, H.E. Ervin Masinga, U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, announced a $552,000 commitment from the U.S. Embassy to support Ethiopian public universities in their transition toward autonomous governance. He also recognized the successful completion of the Autonomy 2.0 Project, which received technical support from EAS in collaboration with the FDRE Ministry of Education.
Ambassador Masinga attributed the project’s success to the strong leadership and commitment of the ten participating universities, as well as the expertise and collaborative efforts of professionals from Ethiopia and the United States.
EAS Founding Fellow and renowned historian Emeritus Professor Bahru Zewde also reflected on the 70-year history of US-Ethiopia cooperation in higher education. He underscored the lasting contribution of this partnership to the growth and development of Ethiopia’s academic and research institutions.
