HU JICA Ethiopia hold discussion on Potential Collaboration.

Hawassa University (HU) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Ethiopia held a fruitful discussion on potentials for future bilateral cooperation at HU’s Senate Hall on October 27, 2022.

Dr. Ayano Berasso, President of HU, welcomed the delegates of JICA Ethiopia and expressed his gratitude for previous and ongoing good relations and collaboration with Japanese government and universities especially on areas of Medicine and Health Sciences as well as Agricultural research.

Dr. Girma Gezimu from HU’s College of Agriculture, who is now a Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Kyushu University of Japan, presented his concept note on a possible collaborative project where JICA’s SHEP field project can be adopted on areas of Agribusiness, Value Chain Management and Horticulture along with Prof. Hisako Nomura.

After Dr. Girma’s online presentation, representatives of HU and JICA Ethiopia discussed the benefits of collaborating on ways of poverty alleviation in Ethiopia which is basically centered on agricultural productivity, agribusiness and value chain management for sustainability. Both parties appreciated the importance of bilateral cooperation and remarked on the possibilities of adopting SHEP field project to university curriculum if needed.   

JICA Ethiopia’s delegates were led by Director Suzuki Fumihiko, and they explained the successful execution of SHEP field project in Amhara and Oromia Regional States of Ethiopia which they believe is worth extending to southern parts of the country. They pointed out that JICA Ethiopia has been working in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture of FDRE, and there is an interest to expand the fruitful experiences in the North to Sidama and Southern Nations and Nationalities Peoples’ Regions without abandoning the former project sites. Both parties finally agreed on the possibility of collaborating on research and practical field experiments of the project on staff and student capacity building after further discussion on ways forward.