Events

Theme: Bridging Policy and Practice: Advancing Higher Education, Research, and Innovation for Ethiopia’s Transformation 

African countries are increasingly placing higher education at the center of strategies for sustainable growth and employment. In Ethiopia, this priority is reflected in the Ten-Year Development Plan (2021–2030) and the Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda, which emphasize building a future-oriented education system to support industrialization, job creation, and inclusive development. Aligning postgraduate training with national transformation goals and emerging economic sectors is therefore critical. 

In alignment with continental priorities, the African Union Commission’s Second 10-Year Implementation Plan (2024–2033) reinforces the importance of higher education and research, targeting the production of 10,000 PhDs, with at least 20% in STEM fields. These goals align with Ethiopia’s ambition to become a knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy capable of addressing poverty, promoting inclusion, and enhancing competitiveness on the global stage. 

Ethiopia has undertaken notable reforms in its higher education sector in recent years. The Ministry of Education has initiated a review of the Higher Education Proclamation, with a focus on governance, research productivity, and quality assurance. These efforts were reinforced by the 2024 National Higher Education Conference held in Addis Ababa under the theme “Innovative Pathways to Transform Higher Education in Ethiopia, which called for a stronger policy focus and emphasized the need to scale up doctoral training, promote interdisciplinary research, and strengthen university-industry linkages. 

Despite this progress, key challenges persist. Postgraduate enrollment remains limited, research infrastructure is underdeveloped, and there is often a misalignment between graduate competencies and market needs. Addressing these gaps requires greater policy coherence, strategic investment, and stronger partnerships between academia, government, and the private sector. Ethiopia’s engagement with the Partnership for Skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology (PASET) through the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif1) presents a unique opportunity to address these challenges.  

Rsif supports doctoral and post-doctoral training in strategic sectors such as ICT, climate resilience, food security, energy, and materials science—areas aligned with Ethiopia’s national priorities. Ethiopia hosts an Rsif African Host University (AHU), further reinforcing its commitment to building high-level research capacity and innovation ecosystems. 

Against this backdrop, and building on findings from a recent multi-country study on doctoral and post-doctoral training conducted in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya, this high-level policy dialogue aims to catalyze strategic, evidence-based conversations. The goal is to align higher education, research, and innovation more closely with Ethiopia’s socio-economic development goals and long-term transformation agenda. 

1. Objectives 

The high-level policy dialogue aims to: 

• Deliberate on strategic policy approaches to strengthen higher education and skills development in Ethiopia, drawing on insights from the recent multi-country study on doctoral and post-doctoral training conducted in Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya. 
• Reflect on Ethiopia’s higher education and research landscape in light of national development priorities, while elevating the visibility and support for the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) as a sustainable, government-led model for building science and innovation capacity.  
• Generate actionable policy recommendations to enhance the quality, relevance, and impact of doctoral education, post-doctoral training and research in advancing Ethiopia’s transformation agenda. 

2. Expected Outcomes 

The policy dialogue is expected to: 

• Strengthen stakeholder understanding of strategic approaches to higher education and skills development in Ethiopia, informed by comparative insights from across Africa.  

• Promote alignment between higher education policies and national development plans, while elevating the visibility and support for the Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund (Rsif) as a sustainable, government-led model for building science and innovation capacity.  
• Generate actionable policy recommendations to enhance the quality and relevance of doctoral education and research in advancing Ethiopia’s economic transformation and broader regional development goals. 

3. Participants 

About 50 participants are expected to attend the high-level policy dialogue event. These comprise key stakeholders in Ethiopia drawn from relevant ministries, academia, industry, development partners, regional experts and representatives of the PASET, Rsif and ACTS. 

 See event program here.