Under the leadership of H.E. Minister Muferiat Kamil, an Ethiopian delegation, including members of the Ethiopian Parliament, went on a study tour of Bavaria through the “Support to the Ethiopian Refugee and Host Community Program” financed by BMZ and KfW. Ethiopia and Bavaria have had various collaborations in the scientific, forestry and skill development cooperation areas with Bavarian Universities. Notably, institutions like the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) have had longstanding partnerships with Ethiopian universities and institutions such as Jimma University, Adama Science and Technology University, Bahir Dar University, St. Paul Hospital and Addis Ababa Tegbareid Polytechnic College.
The purpose for the visit of the delegation was to hold discussions with various Bavarian actors. The Ethiopian Ministry of Labor and Skills (MoLS) is responsible for overseeing job creation across all sectors and for providing a constitutive legal framework with respect to labor, employment, and skill. Upon its creation in 2022, it was also asked to establish a system for technical and vocational training in line with the country’s general development plan. By 2030, the MoLS plans to have created more than a million new jobs in Ethiopia.
The delegation had a series of meetings with key government officials, including H.E. Minister Florian Herrmann, State Minister and Mrs. Melanie Habelitz-Wollgam, head of the African Department at the Bavarian State Chancellery on the establishment of partnerships in various sectors such as business, vocational training, education, science, agriculture, environment, and public administration.
The delegation also met with the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Munich, discussing business incubation strategies and federal/state funding programs to support small and medium enterprises. The delegation engaged in talks with the Honorary Consul of Ethiopia, Ms. Maximiliana Schürrle, aiming to promote economic ties between Bavaria and Ethiopia.
The delegation met with the Bavarian Ministry of Economic Affairs to learn about the support provided by the government for startups and technology-oriented businesses throughout Bavaria; and a meeting with the State Ministry of Education to explore the region’s TVET system, dual training, and digital training in Bavaria.
One of the highlights of the tour is signing of the Mou between the Ethiopian Ministry of Labour and Skills Development and the TUM TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology (Technical Education/ TUM Think Tank). The Technical University of Munich (TUM) is one of the most prestigious technical universities in Europe. Having been named a University of Excellence for the third time in a row, TUM is now planning to expand its teaching and research activities in the areas of technically oriented humanities and social sciences.
Together, the MoLS and TUM TUM School of Social Sciences and Technology (Technical Education/ TUM Think Tank) aim to strengthen their collaboration in the field of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) to enhance capacity-building in the TVET-sector in Ethiopia. The lines of collaboration include the establishment of a multi-stakeholder TVET Think Tank, drawing on TUM’s experience with projects incubated at its Think Tank. TUM’s School of Social Sciences and Technology (Technical Education/ TUM Think Tank) will also be sharing its expertise in digitalization and blended-learning practices with the federal TVET Institute in Ethiopia and open its master’s program in Vocational Education and Innovation to qualified Ethiopian applicants. Additionally, workshops and training will be offered to Ethiopian TVET expert groups to enrich the process of conceptualization of capacity building that is central to the MoLS-TUM-cooperation.
This combined effort is expected to provide the Ethiopian TVET-sector with high-quality international input while the integration of local experts and the private sector ensures that Ethiopian strengths and needs are not overlooked. At the same time, TUM researchers get the opportunity to see how their theoretical ideas fare in a real-world environment. By creating jobs for a growing and highly promising young population, Ethiopia’s and especially this group’s economic outlook will be improved. Bavaria thus fulfills its pledge to fight causes for migration and flight and support local initiatives in creating opportunities.