Ethiopia-Scotland Science and Higher Education Symposium: Opportunities for Partnership and Collaboration

Wednesday, 28^th July 2021 | 10:00am (London BST) | 12:00pm (Addis Ababa BST+2)

Online webinar via Zoom

Background

To spur and support its growth and transformation agenda, the Government of Ethiopia is committed to expanding higher education, science, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) programs. The Ministry of Science and Higher education was thus established in 2018 in order to mandate this agenda at a national level, which then led to the restructuring of governance and henceforth the development of a new policy framework.

The National Science Policy and Strategy, aimed at enhancing the development of science and technology in Ethiopia, was recently launched as part of efforts to acknowledge the role of science and technology in responding to the emerging needs of the country and ensure Ethiopia’s growth, in particular, its ambition of becoming a middle-income country by 2025.

Over the past decades, Ethiopia has made remarkable progress to advance access to higher education, science, and technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions. This rapid expansion, however, has raised concerns about quality.

About

This webinar is being organised by the Ethiopian Embassy in London, in collaboration with Scottish-Africa Business Association and the Honorary Consul for Ethiopia in Scotland.

This webinar will seek to explore key insights into the science and higher education sector in Ethiopia and Scotland, and share best practices and experiences on opportunities and areas of collaboration with similar institutions in both countries. We hope to create a platform to explore partnerships between universities and higher education institutions for joint scientific research, training at different levels.

Tentative Agenda

Introduction

Welcoming Remarks: Mr. Beyene Gebremeskel, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Ethiopia, London

Opening Remarks: H.E. Teferi Melesse Desta,  Ambassador of Ethiopia to the United Kingdom

Keynote speakers: 

• H.E. Dr. Samuel Urkato, Minister of Science and Higher Education (TBC)
• Professor John Struthers, Honorary Consul for Ethiopia in Scotland (TBC)

SESSION ONE: Opportunities for Collaboration in Science, TVET & Industry linkages

• Frazer Lang, Chairman of Scottish-Africa Business Association
• Colleges Scotland – presentation on the evolution of the college sector in Scotland and industry linkages
• City of Glasgow College, Edinburgh College, New College Lanarkshire – short presentations from the winners of the world skills training awards

Q  & A

Moderator: TBC

SESSION TWO: Universities, Research Institutions

• Experts from Science and Higher Education
• Representatives from Ethiopia major Universities and TVET institutions
• Representative from Higher Education Relevance and Quality Agency (HERQA)
• Scottish Universities Africa Group – presentation from the co-chairs (Edinburgh and Stirling) on opportunities for partnerships and students
• Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA)

Q & A

Moderator: Mr. Frazer Lang, Chairman of Scottish-Africa Business Association (TBC

Concluding Remarks

• Beyene Gebremeskel, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Ethiopia, London

Registration

Participation in the webinar is by invitation only. However, please note that this virtual event will be broadcast live via the Embassy Facebook page.

Event Contact: events@ethioembassy.org.uk