Ethio Telecom CEO Frehiwot Tamru has been appointed as the chairwoman of the board of Addis Ababa University, which is set to be organized as an autonomous university.
The appointment was announced by Minister of Education Professor Birhanu Nega on Thursday, August 31, 2023.
In addition to Frehiwot Tamru’s appointment, Minister of State for Education Dr. Samuel Kefle was also appointed as the acting president of Addis Ababa University. Kefle is a professor of economics and has served in various capacities at the university, including the dean of the College of Social Sciences and Humanities.
The appointment of Freihowt Tamru and Dr Samuel Kefle is part of the government’s plan to make Addis Ababa University a fully autonomous university. The university was granted autonomous status by decree in 2022, but it is still in the process of transitioning to a fully autonomous system.
The minister said that the university will start working fully autonomously after the guidelines are prepared in 2024. He also noted that the university will need to develop its own financial and human resources management systems in order to operate as an autonomous institution.
The appointment of Tamru and Kefle is a significant step in the process of making Addis Ababa University a fully autonomous university.
