Islamabad, May 30, 2025: Ethiopia and Pakistan on Friday discussed new opportunities for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of higher education, with a focus on academic exchange, quality assurance, and research collaboration.
In a key meeting held in Islamabad, Dr. Jemal Beker Abdula, Special Envoy and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), met with Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed, Chairman of Pakistan’s Higher Education Commission (HEC), to explore avenues for partnership and institutional linkages.
Both sides expressed strong interest in launching student and faculty exchange programs, developing quality curricula, and enhancing cooperation in digital education, joint research projects, and fields such as agriculture, science and technology, medicine, engineering, and artificial intelligence.
Ambassador Dr. Jemal emphasized the high priority placed by Ethiopian Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed on improving education quality and promoting modern technologies across Ethiopia. He said Pakistan’s deep experience in higher education presents a valuable model that Ethiopia could learn from to support its human capital development.
The Ambassador also underlined the importance of “education diplomacy” in building lasting and mutually beneficial relations between the two countries.
Chairman Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to sharing its expertise with Ethiopia. He briefed the visiting envoy on Pakistan’s progress in digital learning platforms, higher education infrastructure, and research capabilities.
Dr. Mukhtar assured the Ambassador of HEC’s support in facilitating connections between universities in both countries and offering educational opportunities to Ethiopian students in Pakistan’s public universities.
He also extended an invitation for Ethiopian education officials and university leaders to participate in the 6th Vice Chancellors Forum, scheduled to take place in Rabat, Morocco from June 23–25, 2025.
