BY MULATU BELACHEW
The fastest growing city, Debre Berhan is becoming a center for the booming industrial zone due to its strategic location and suit climate conditions for investment. However, regardless of the city’s quick development, its master plan is not that much suit to sustain the existing and new inflowing investment opportunities for the reason it missed the right and key alignment with the city’s development journeys. Considering these challenges, Debre Berhan University (DBU) has been undertaking wide assessment research with the aim to find the right master plan for the city that secures the existing and the coming investment projects and services in a manner that protect and conserve the environment and its resource side to running the investments.
DBU has the triple mandates of producing competent citizens through teaching, undertaking problem solving and relevant studies and providing knowledge-based community service.
It has been engaged in theses triple duties for over a decade and half since its establishment. During this period, DBU in collaboration with governmental and non-governmental organizations has been actively engaged in various developmental activities and it is trying to establish a system and enabling ground to promote and enhance research for knowledge and technology transfer, engage in project based development activities and providing community services that cater to the development needs of the country besides cultivating capable graduates.
However, the research and community engagement culture of the staff is still undeveloped and the research activities undertaken so far have no end-to-end connection and their outputs are not transferred to the end users in the ways they solve the problems and satisfy practical needs of the society and the city.
Poor integration, limited effective partnership, inadequate budget allocation, undiversified budget source, and poor infrastructure are amongst the major challenges contributed to the problem.
Saying this, majority of public university in Ethiopia have mainly focused on teaching, and they are not actively engaged in problem solving researches, outreach activities, and innovation and technology transfer at expected level. This must be addressed to realize the country’s socio-economic development thirsty. Importing technology has stoppage if universities work hard in technology transformation, discovery and innovation. If universities actualize this, Ethiopia can be a country that exports new technologies and discoveries to the rest of the globe besides utilizing its underutilized abundant variety of resources.
In this regard, recently, DBU disclosed integrated structural plan with the aim to make the university and the city development suit for all segments of development and industrial revolution. The plan is prepared for 30 years that will be further developed and implemented together with key actors and stakeholders as well as partners of the university and the city.
The ongoing reform activities in the country’s higher institutions and academic centers through policy preparation and revision have widened and raised inclusive institution-industry linkage opportunities, DBU disclosed.
During the launching workshop conference of Institution-Industry Linkage, Future Research and Development Plan held recently, DBU President Nigus Tadesse (PhD) highlighted that the university has been undertaking various activities in a bid to make sure Debre Berhan city and its surrounding beneficiaries of their natural, historical and cultural resources in advanced and safe ways. He, hence, said DBU has officially introduced activities in which it has been undertaking in agriculture, tourism, mining and energy as well as the manufacturing sector.
As a result, it has carried out problem solving applied researches to realize inclusive environment protected development. “Regarding the legal framework; policy, rules and regulations have been prepared at federal level to make effective the move towards Institution-Industry Linkage. The prepared policy, rules and regulations are highly helpful for works to undertake transfer of technologies via the linkage; provided cooperative trainings and consulting service along with undertaking applied research, and internship and externship matters,” he remarked.
Of late, Northern Showa Zone is becoming well known investment zone. As a result, over 1,600 small, medium and jumbo industries have been registered and undertaking various investment activities, he said adding that the existence of such industries in the area creates great opportunity for the university to widen its linkage with them.
National Security Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister, Gedu Andargachew on his part said that universities have to share their experiences and play key role to change the society’s life and the country’s development.
The research work should continue well in strengthened manner to realize the quick development of the city that ensures safety of the environment and the public’s benefit. Talking about DBU, he acknowledged the effort that the university has exerted for the city’s inclusive development and urged the university to upgrade itself in all standards like the city’s development. Enhancing linkages with universities and industry is a timely matter for DBU. “The city is growing quickly. Struggling to prepare the right structural plan for this growing city is the right thing that makes the city suit for all development plans. In this regard, the university’s role is appreciable but this is a beginning not an end,” he said.
On the event, State Minister of Science and Higher Education (MOSH), Professor Afework Kassu said: “Linking institution with industry is necessary to hit the intended target of balancing the supply and demand of various things that is why the government has given remarkable attention for policy and institution-industry linkage.”
He further noted that the linkage does not bear the expected outcome due to various reasons and lack of commitment for linkage from stakeholders to have common plan besides gaps in legal frameworks. “Now it is up to us to make use of the available opportunities properly to realize and transform technology and skills which are key factors to ensure all sided, safe and inclusive development.”
Professor Daniel Kitaw, Researcher at Addis Ababa University for his part said that industrial development is a means to end/ eradicate poverty. Developing strong linkage between university departments should be undertaken well. This avoids critical misalignment and increase operating capacity of graduates. Universities should play their part for technological transformation right now the duty they failed to accomplish in the past years. All universities should focus and work diligently on technological transformation which is the prime agenda for the country’s sustainable development, he asserted.
The Ethiopian Herald June 26/2021
