U.S. Assistant Secretary Nagy Concludes Visit to Ethiopia
ADDIS ABABA – U.S. Assistant Secretary for African Affairs Tibor Nagy has concluded a successful visit to Ethiopia which involved a meeting with officials of higher education ministry and the inauguration of a modern space learning at Mekelle University.
The center, Mekelle American Corner (MAC), is located at the newly opened Science Museum Building, Adi Haki Campus and houses a digital library with a collection of journals, American publications and thousands of books, and bank of computing devices, among others.
The Assistant Secretary was joined by Mekelle University President Professor Kindeya Gebrehiwot and U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia Michael Raynor in opening the new American Corner in Mekelle.
“This American Corner will be a place for the free exchange of ideas, where all can discover new talents and develop them, and where connections with the United States and the rest of the world are as close as a click on a computer screen,” said Nagy in his remarks at the MAC opening event.
The U.S. Embassy said it invested close to 2.8mln Birr in the MAC, the sixth space of its kind in Ethiopia with five others in Bahir Dar, Dire Dawa, Jimma and two in Addis Ababa at the Embassy and the Ethiopian National Archives and Library Agency (NALA).
In Mekelle, Nagy met with U.S. exchange alumni and American Ambassador’s Distinguished Scholars to discuss how these programs have shaped their interests and work in their country.
Assistant Secretary Nagy also met with key university partners and officials from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education (MoSHE).
During the meeting, Assistant Secretary Nagy and the officials discussed challenges facing Ethiopian higher education institutions and opportunities for increased university partnerships and research collaboration between the United States and Ethiopia.
He expressed his appreciation for the long history of partnership with Ethiopia on education, a relationship going back nearly 70 years.
Nagy also discussed the University Partnerships Initiative, a program that aims to expand partnerships between U.S. and African universities to strengthen Africa’s educational institutions and enhance their role as instruments of national development.
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Image: M7: Assistant Secretary Tibor P. Nagy meets with Mekelle University officials [Photo US Embassy].
