Ethiopia's Minister of Labor and other government officials visited HIT

A delegation of entrepreneurs and government officials from Ethiopia visited Israel as part of UN innovation delegation and was hosted at HIT upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The delegation included entrepreneurs and government officials, among them the Minister of Labor of Ethiopia and two deputy ministers, with the aim of linking innovation activity in Israel and Ethiopia with an emphasis on academia.

The delegation met with the president of the HIT, Prof. Eduard Yakubov and the members expressed their desire for joint programs with HIT, including student exchanges, as well as dedicated hybrid study programs that will be delivered partly in Israel and partly in Ethiopia, to students from Ethiopia, and who will be accompanied by Israeli students of Ethiopian origin  studying at HIT.

The President of the institute gave an overview of the institute's activities in qulifying a new generation of scientists, engineers, technology and design experts who have changed and are changing and shaping the face of the State of Israel for over 50 years.

He noted that upon receiving her request, the institute will considerate it positively and will be ready to take part in shaping the future generation of Ethiopia, and he also noted that the old relationship with the Ethiopian people has been going on for about 3,000 years, dating back to the days of  King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba.

The President also emphasized that HIT's management attributes great importance to making higher education accessible to all populations of the State of Israel from all the peripheries, both geographically and socio-economically. The institute opens its doors to all populations in Israel.

As an example, Prof. Yakubov pointed out that the percentage of Ethiopians in the general population of Israel is 1.8%, in academia in Israel it is 1.3%, while the institute proudly notes that 2.4% of the members of the Ethiopian community study at HIT.

The Minister of Labor of Ethiopia said that in view of the success of the institute, she would be very happy to help HIT in establishing additional academic and non-academic programs and said that the total population of Ethiopia is about 120 million peoples, 2 million of whom are students and that she sees that in view of the institute's experience it will be able to take an important part in collaborations for Building additional academic and non-academic programs.

As of today, over 100 students from the community are studying at HIT. The management of the institute is making efforts to double this number in the next two years.

The delegation was welcomed by Ms. Tali Malach Banaim, head of the FUTURE Entrepreneurship Center and Mr. Oren Sminian, a lecturer in the program.

At the end of the visit, the members of the delegation expressed their great impression of HIT and their hope and desire to maintain the collaborations that were discussed regarding training students from Ethiopia.

Posted: 17/08/2022