The Africa Center of Excellence for Water Management (ACEWM) has received international accreditation for its three PhD and five MSc programs. The accreditation certificate was awarded by the international accrediting institution Agency for Quality Assurance (AQAS) based in Cologne, Germany.
The accredited programs include Aquatic Ecosystems Management (PhD), Hydrology and Water Resources Management (PhD), Water Science and Technology (PhD), Aquatic Ecosystems Management (MSc), Hydrology and Water Resources (MSc), Water Quality Management (MSc), Water Supply and Sanitation (MSc), Water and Wastewater Technologies (MSc).
Prior to the accreditation process, ACEWM submitted a comprehensive self-evaluation report and supporting documents about the academic programs and the overall status of ACEWM at Addis Ababa University (AAU).
As part of the accreditation procedure, a virtual site visit was carried out to look into ACEWM’s teaching-learning processes and its academic and student facilities. Following the site visit, a panel of experts had an open discussion with ACEWM’s academic staff, students, AAU’s leadership and representatives from industry.
Following the positive results of the accreditation process, ACEWM held a Technical and High-Level Advisory Meeting on January 25, 2022. The meeting brought together presidents of public universities in Ethiopia, the Ministry of Education, academic staff, students and representatives from the private sector.
The meeting explored the national strategy and international experiences towards strengthening the quality and relevance of higher education in Ethiopia through national and international accreditation of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs).
At the meeting, Dr. Feleke Zewge, Director of ACEWM, presented the framework for international accreditation of higher educational institutions and lessons learned from the successful accreditation process.
The Center undertook the process of international accreditation of its programs to enhance the quality of their programs. Also, the accreditation will increase the Center’s international acceptance which will attract more students, support from industry partners and donors. ACEWM is the first HEI able to internationally accredit its academic programs in Ethiopia for a period of six years.
