President and Vice President of Ethiopian Partner University Bahir Dar University Visit Taiwan Tech

                                                                                                                   (Office of International Affairs)
Taiwan Tech has been recruiting international students from Ethiopia since 2007, and the number of students has grown gradually every year. It is estimated that in the 2017-18 school year the number will exceed 100, making Ethiopia the third country after Indonesia and Vietnam with the largest number of inbound students to Taiwan Tech. To date, more than 30 Ethiopian alumni have secured a teaching position in Bahir Dar University (BDU) after returning to Ethiopia, enhancing the academic relationship between BDU and Taiwan Tech. In order to consolidate the friendship between the two universities and to develop collaboration opportunities, Taiwan Tech invited BDU President Baylie and Vice President Gedam to visit on August 3rd this year (2017). The 11-day academic exchange provided them an overview of the academic and research environment in Taiwan Tech.
 
According to the World Bank's Global Economic Prospects released in June 2017, Ethiopia is projected to become the fastest growing African country economically this year. In this rapid boom of development, we can clearly notice Mr. Baylie’s enthusiasm in recruiting foreign talent and his desire to introduce a variety of advanced equipment as well as agricultural and fishing technology back to Ethiopia. In order to organize a fulfilling trip for Mr. Baylie and Ms. Gedam, the OIA arranged intensive visits to the College of Engineering, College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Office of Research and Development and Business Incubation Center. The guests also conversed with professors in various departments about academic concepts and possibilities of cooperation. In addition, they visited the school’s benchmark institutions: the Industry 4.0 Center and Taiwan Building Technology Center. In addition to the campus tour, the guests also paid visits to several businesses, including K&H MFG Co., TECO Electric & Machinery Co., Oklao Coffee Farm and the R&D Department of Lite-On Technology Co. Government organizations which they visited included the Hualien District Agricultural Improvement Station and Fisheries Agency, Council of Agriculture. They were warmly received by Taiwan’s three major sectors: industry, government and academia.
 
Taiwan Tech and BDU have been partner universities since 2011. BDU is located in Bahir Dar, a city in the northwest of Ethiopia. It is one of the most popular cities for sightseeing because of its beautiful scenery. BDU was created from the merger of two long-established higher education institutions, Bahir Dar Polytechnic and Bahir Dar Teacher’s College, in 2000. BDU is now one of the largest universities in Ethiopia with around 52,830 students, 69 undergraduate programs, 118 master’s programs and 32 doctoral programs.
 
This all-inclusive trip was rich and fruitful thanks to the kind assistance of the following senior personnel: Deputy Director Xiao Can-Zong of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council, Vice General Manager Lin Shu-Jiao of K&H MFG Co., Deputy Director Gu Zhi-Juan of TECO Electric & Machinery Co., Vice General Manager Wang Mao-Shi of Oklao Coffee Farm, Mr. Zhang Jia-Xi of the R&D Department of Lite-On Technology Co., Secretary General Miu Zi-Chang of the Fisheries Agency. We also would like to thank Dean of the Office of Research and Development Chu Jinn, Chairman of the Business Incubation Center Guo Jing-Ming, Professor Chiu Chien-Kuo and Associate Professor Chen Pin-Chuan of the College of Engineering, Chair Professor Toyoko Imae of the Graduate Institute of Applied Science and Technology, Assistant Professor Lin Zi-Kuan of the Industry 4.0 Center, Associate Professor Hua Kai-Long and Professor Bao Xing-Guo of the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, Vice President Chiang Wei-Hwa of the TBTC, Professor Lin Chiu-Hsiang of the Department of Industrial Management, Distinguished Professor Chiu Huang-Jen of the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, as well as the Office of International Affairs, National Dong Hwa University. 

The guests and CEO Wei-Hwa Chiang took group photo at TBTC.