Photography: Addis Ababa and Lagos Avenues by Azeb Tadesse
ADDIS ABABA UNIVERSITY
Addis Ababa University
Business Re-Engineering Support (2009)
UCLA hosted several bench-marking groups from Addis Ababa University in a knowledge exchange and sharing project to support AAU’s business re-engineering processes. The goal of the project was to use UCLA operations and management systems as a model for potential adaptation in Ethiopia and to consult on the development of more efficient and effective management and administrative units within AAU. Areas covered by the project included general university management and administration; business processes; research administration; fund mobilization; alumni relations; and graduate and undergraduate education.
Managing Ethiopia: An Addis Ababa University-UCLA Partnership for Innovative Business and Economics Training (2010)
Under the auspices of the Africa-US Higher Education Initiative funded by USAID, Addis Ababa University (AAU)–UCLA partnered to develop a plan to build the capacity of AAU’s School of Business and School of Economics to meet the immediate challenges of expanding higher education in Ethiopia and the long-term goal of enhancing the private and public sectors capacity to effectively contribute to the nation’s economic development.
The partnership developed a plan that employs a “pipeline” human resources development strategy coupled with intensified institutional capacity building, which will increase available human resources over time at all levels, regardless of the sector in which they may ultimately secure employment, e.g. government, university, private sector. The training model focused on building institutional capacity to provide training in-country, thereby making the institution the focus of investment rather than the individual. In addition to training and capacity building, the partnership developed a plan for creation of a center of excellence at AAU in business, management, finance, and economics engaged in upgrading and building institutions in Ethiopia. Project plan included components and programs such as a joint research institute, a business incubator and an advisory board of business leaders to introduce fundamental institutional change and build a national center of excellence that can serve the region.