Center Title and Acronym: African Centre of Excellence for Water Management (ACEWM)

Host University and Country: Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia
Center Website Address:acewm-aau.org
Center Director and email address: Dr. Feleke Zewge, fbeshah@yahoo.com, feleke.zewge@aau.edu.et

Primary Thematic Discipline of Center: ACE for Water Management

Brief Description of Center:

The African Centre of Excellence for Water Management, hosted by Addis Ababa University, is a collaborative world-class centre of excellence established with a rationale to address the lack of trained skilled human resource capable of handling water management challenges of the region in a holistic, integrative and transformative approach. The centre plans to achieve this through teaching, innovative research, internships, on job technical training and community outreach programs using broad-based partnership approach. The centre has developed and approved a curriculum for five Masters and three PhD specializations. ACEWM has a vision to become a leading teaching and research centre and contribute its share towards an equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation, socioeconomic development, regional cooperation and the environment in Africa.

Key Objectives and Expected Outcomes: the objectives of ACEWM include

1. Strengthening AAU’s teaching and research capacity in water science and technology to train critical mass of human capacity required to address national and regional development needs, and

2. Enhancing the capacity of faculty and students to conduct state-of-the-art research and scholarly activities in order to help solve regional problems in water management and climate change issues as well as provide trained research scientists and engineers to support national and regional development goals, and

3. Provide training and support for the development and adoption of best-practices in teaching, research, academic administration, and management through regional and international partnerships, coupled with mobilization of African Diaspora scientists.

Major Accomplishments to Date:

1. Conditions Effectiveness accomplished and approved the WB, and two independent bank accounts for ACEWM (USD and Local Currency) opened at the National Bank of Ethiopia, following that bank signatories had been approved by the university (Center Leader, Dean of the CNCS, Managing Director of the CNCS)

2. New Curriculum Design has been completed with stakeholders input and approved by the University

3. Published 8 Papers on International Journals: Publications after August 2016

4. 1.4 million British Pound generated in partnership with the Imperial College of London and National Institute

   for Medical Research (Tanzania). Of which $ 313000 will be allocated for work conducted by ACEWM

5. Administrative Support Team for the ACEWM Established

6. Conducted joint meeting of Project Management Steering Committee, Academic Management Team, College

   and University Finance, procurement and Human Resources Units and Representatives of the World Bank

   Country Mission to Ethiopia

7. Conducted National, Regional and International Partners meeting to discuss on implementation arrangements

Primary Regional and Global Partners: