On Saturday, 18 January hundreds of people wearing black were gathered at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) compound to mourn and pay a tribute to Ethiopia’s well renowned livestock Researcher and Scientist Dr. Azage Tegegne who passed away on 12 January after briefly hospitalized on a sudden illness while he was in Gondar for work.
His family, friends and colleagues were saddened and aggrieved to learn about the untimely death of the Ethiopian Society of Animal Production founding father who dedicated his life to flicker light on the sector. He was a principal scientist for ILRI for more than three decade not to mention the list.
The late extraordinary scientist Dr. Azage was born in Harar in 1984 E.C. to his mother Mintewab Tadesse and to his father Tegegne Wolde. He received both his bachelor’s (animal science) and master’s (animal production) degrees from Addis Ababa University’s Alemaya College of Agriculture (now Haramaya University), in Ethiopia, and his doctoral degree (animal reproduction) in 1989 from the Graduate School of Tropical Veterinary Science and Agriculture at James Cook University of the northern queen’s land in Australia.
Dr. Azage proved a prolific communicator co-authoring more than 350 scientific and professional articles, including 150 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, abstracts, conference articles, book chapters and working papers. He played an even larger role as a mentor, co-supervising 71 post-graduate students at PhD (17) and MSc/DVM (54) levels enrolled in Ethiopian and international universities.
The International Livestock Centre for Africa (ILCA), which was based in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, first engaged Dr. Azage as a graduate research fellow from 1986 to 1988 and then hired him as a post-doctoral research fellow upon completion of his doctoral studies, in 1989, until 1991. In 1992, ILCA promoted him to animal scientist, a position he served through ILCA’s merger with the International Laboratory for Research on Livestock Diseases (ILRAD), based in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1995 to form ILRI.
From 2000 to 2003, Dr. Azage served as manager of ILRI’s Debre Zeit Research Station. From 2004 to 2018, he coordinated the livestock work of two large science-based development-oriented research projects, ‘Improving the Productivity and Market Success of Ethiopian farmers’ (IPMS) and ‘Livestock and Irrigation Value Chains for Ethiopian Smallholders’ (LIVES). In 2012, he took over management of the whole of the LIVES project until its completion, in 2018. Also in 2012, Dr. Azage began serving as deputy director general representative in Ethiopia.
Moreover, the great asset to Ethiopian livestock sector, Dr. Azage was a founding fellow of the Ethiopian Society of Animal Production (ESAP), the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences and the Ethiopian Society for Animal Welfare. He served as editor-in-chief of the Ethiopian Journal of Animal Production (EJAP).
He was a member of the editorial board of the Canadian peer-reviewed CPQ Nutrition journal, a member of the boards of trustees of both Ethiopia’s Haramaya and Debre Berhan universities; a member of the editorial advisory boards of the International Animal Reproduction Science Journal and the Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences of Bahir Dar University; a member of the Ethiopian Veterinary Association (EVA); a member of the advisory councils for Ethiopia’s Amhara Regional Government and Ministry of Science and Higher Education; and a member of the Ethiopian Ministry of Agriculture’s Advisory Council and Think Tank Group.
In addition, using his considerable expertise in Ethiopian livestock development, he contributed to studies and missions organized by, among others, Austria’s Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology; the Finnish International Development Agency (FINNIDA) the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Irish Aid; the Netherlands Government, the UK’s Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and the World Bank.
Dr. Azage received more than 20 national and international awards for his excellence in his career, including most recently being bestowed the degree of Honorary Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in 2012 from Bahir Dar University and the award of Outstanding Alumni from James Cook University in 2013, and an award recognizing his ‘lifetime contribution’ to the Ethiopian Society for Animal Production (ESAP) in August 2019.
On the memorial program his long time friends, colleagues and co-workers have expressed his passionate and compassionate personality. They described him as a cordial and humble a person with a sense of humour.
ILRI’s director general, Jimmy Smith, says “It is difficult to find words to adequately convey what a loss Azage’s passing is to Ethiopia, to ILRI and to me personally. He personified ILRI’s mission to use science to transform the livelihoods of livestock farmers with unequalled passion that infected all with whom he engaged. He has always gone beyond the call of duty, always putting in extra hours of work and always delivering high-quality outputs. He left us far too soon. I will miss him very much. ILRI will miss him. As will the entire development community of Ethiopia.’’
“More than a staff member, colleague and friend of ILRI, Azage was a form of institutional bedrock, seemingly embedded in the very DNA of ILRI, where he spent his entire professional life, serving ILRI not only as an outstanding scientist and project manager but also, as noted by Siboniso (‘Boni’) Moyo, ILRI’s director general representative in Ethiopia, as ‘institutional walking memory’.
“I have known Dr. Azage Tegegne since 1984. When I was a freshman student in the former Alemaya University, he was a student dean and instructor in the animal science department. He was known for putting the interests of his students ahead of his own interests, or even those of the university administration. Dr. Azage was an observant, friendly and real scientist. He had extremely rich experiences, which he drew on to contribute a lot to our country. His passing is a great loss for ILRI, for our national research system and for agricultural development in this country. We will all miss Dr. Azage.’’Kindu Mekonnen, from crop-livestock systems senior scientist in ILRI’s Sustainable Livestock Systems Program.
‘’The African livestock sector has lost its icon. Dr. Azage was a colleague, a mentor and a great friend. I hope that we can find comfort together during this difficult time and carry our memories together for the rest of our lives. We know that he still had plans to contribute more to the livestock sector. May he rest in eternal peace.’’ said Tadelle Dessie, principal scientist in genetics and breeding in ILRI’s Livestock Genetics Program.
Even though, the dedicated visionary scientist has passed his works and many outstanding contributions of his shines forever. They will be remembered by his colleagues. All has vowed to keep his legacy and finish numerous started projects he left behind.
On the closing ceremony his colleagues sang a song by Gordon Jensens ‘tears are language God understands’ for his farewell tribute.
Dr. Azage was survived by his son Fitsum Azage and his daughter Betelehem Azage.
The Ethiopian Herald Sunday Edition 26 January 2020
BY FASICA BERHANE
