Ethiopia remains one of the world’s poorest nations, with limited material resources and substantial socio-economic challenges. Despite a population of approximately 110 million, nearly 30% of Ethiopians live on less than $2 USD a day. While the country has experienced remarkable economic growth over the past decade, it still faces significant hurdles. The nation continues to struggle with emerging and persistent health crises, poverty, deforestation, food insecurity, and inadequate infrastructure. There is a pressing need for a greater number of trained professionals across various fields to address these issues and ensure sustainable progress.
How Does TAAAC Work?
The TAAAC (Toronto Addis Ababa Academic Collaboration) model focuses on empowering Ethiopia through the development and strengthening of graduate medical and academic programs at Addis Ababa University (AAU). By fostering a local capacity for training professionals, Ethiopia can build a more accessible and robust healthcare system, stimulate economic growth, and combat food insecurity and unemployment, thereby securing a better future for its people.
Academic faculty members from the University of Toronto volunteer to participate in these initiatives, traveling to Ethiopia to teach and co-develop graduate programs under the guidance of AAU faculty. These volunteers contribute by teaching courses, supervising PhD candidates, providing clinical oversight, and teaching technical skills. Upon completion of their training, new AAU graduates are employed to expand faculty at AAU and at the growing number of Ethiopian universities. Over time, this model ensures that each program can independently replicate itself.
TAAAC Results
In the last few years TAAAC has assisted in graduating over 200 AAU students of whom over 90 percent remain within the country.
TAAAC has become a workable and effective model for collaboration in global health to accelerate the creation of professional and academic specialists, promoting an accessible robust health system and contributing directly to ongoing economic and infrastructure growth. By facilitating excellence in academic research and practice, a new generation of confident and competent young Ethiopians will help fulfill their country’s great potential.
AAU is becoming a magnet centre of excellence for education in sub-Saharan Africa and an internationally-significant research university.
Der biaber anbessa yaser is an Amharic saying that translates as: together a spider’s web will tie a lion. As friends, colleagues, and community TAAAC is privileged to play a part in Ethiopia’s strong grasp on a better future.
