Ethiopian Aviation University Exceeds Leadership Training Goals

The Ethiopian Aviation University (EAU) has successfully completed the Leadership Development Training (LDT) intervention of the SEED Program, led by the Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EDI) in partnership with the MasterCard Foundation. This achievement comes ahead of schedule, in the third quarter of the program's second year, which was initially planned as a five-year initiative. The goal of the LDT intervention was to deliver leadership development training to 1,000 leaders selected from 100 Technical and Vocational Training (TVT) institutions. EAU announced this on a closing ceremony held on May 30, 2025, at the University head office for the final cohort of the LDT program, comprising participants from over 18 TVT institutions, that it has surpassed this target, having provided the program to over 1,000 leaders across more than 100 TVTs.

Demonstrating a commitment to inclusivity, the program also provided leadership training for TVT leaders with hearing impairments through the allocation of a professional sign language interpreter.

Ali Ebrahim Ali, representative of the MasterCard Foundation, expressed his gratitude for the SEED program management for successfully delivering the leadership training for 1,000 leaders from the 100 target colleges. Initially, this target was planned to be achieved at the end of the 5th year, and the decision to deliver the training in advance was the right decision to harvest the transformational impact of the target colleges in the coming years, he added. He also said, we have visited the target colleges like Bishoftu Poly Technic College and witnessed how the leadership training by the Aviation University is impacting the leaders in reforming their colleges.

Hassen Hussien (PhD), CEO of EDI, also lauded the program's impact, saying that the leadership program has been consequential and congratulated everyone involved in developing SEED. He stressed that it is the most consequential project in this country. Future impacts will also prove this.

Beyond the impressive numbers, the program is already demonstrating tangible impact. Positive feedback from participants returning to their institutions indicates a significant transformation, aligning with SEED's objective of Enabling 1 million young youth (80% women) to access dignified and fulfilling jobs through relevant skill enhancement, entrepreneurship, and enterprise developments by anchoring TVT.