Ethiopia is on track to become one of the 10 most populous countries in the world by 2035.  To adequately address the country’s future needs, the Ethiopian Catholic University [ECU] is busily preparing capable doctors and outstanding engineers.

Recognizing the need for visionary leadership in his country, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hon. Meles Zenawi started dreaming about the university in 1997.   ECU was conceived not merely as a vibrant location to advance academic insights, but more importantly, to equip compassionate individuals with practical leadership and expert skills in service to their country.

Already a new ECU medical school has been built and meritorious students are engaged in a program which is fully accredited by the government.  The medical offerings of the university not only will train new doctors, but will provide a Center of Excellence for the instruction and recertification of doctors, nurses, and midwives.  Graduating students can be placed in over 400 hospitals across Ethiopia to meet the expanding healthcare needs of a growing country.   Over the next ten years, ECU will graduate 1,000 medical professionals, increasing the number of skilled healthcare workers in Ethiopia by 5%.

A similar program is envisioned for engineering.  With concentrations in civil and electrical engineering as well as architecture, ECU graduates will prepare Ethiopia to address local, regional and national concerns while also positioning the country for a strong presence in the world community.  Accreditation is expected shortly, and the university anticipates having between 60 and 80 students in each year of this four-year program.   The program will foster internships so academic understandings are combined with practical experience.  In this way, graduating engineers are equipped to immediately address the professional engineering needs of Africa.

Because this private university is not state-funded, students must assume all instructional costs.  If you would like to sponsor an engineering or medical student, the tuition, room and board costs at ECU is $6,000 USD a year.  For comparison purposes, the average US medical school debt is $183,000 USD, or approximately $45,750 USD per year. Click here to help sponsor (in any amount) a capable student’s study at ECU life while also helping Ethiopia address its critical needs.   Preparing a bright future requires preparing bright professionals today.