DEMERA's Delegation Visit to Debre Berhan University: Strengthening Digital Skills and University Collaboration

A DEMERA delegation visited Debre Berhan University (DBU) to assess the progress of the ongoing Digital Skills Development Program, engage directly with participating students and the university taskforce, and discuss opportunities for expanding the collaboration between DEMERA and DBU.

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The delegation held a productive meeting with the university management, led by the President of Debre Berhan University, Dr. Asmare Melese Tiruneh (PhD), together with members of the university's management team. The engagement was coordinated by Dr. Betel Geremew Dr. Seble , who has been closely supporting and leading the implementation of the program at the university.

The discussion went beyond reviewing the current program. DEMERA and DBU explored how the partnership could be strengthened and expanded into additional areas aligned with the university's diverse academic and research activities, ranging from technology and engineering to health sciences and other disciplines.

Assessing Progress Through Direct Student Engagement

A central objective of the visit was to understand the program from the students' perspective.

The DEMERA delegation met directly with participating students and the university taskforce to review progress, hear about their experiences, identify challenges affecting their learning, and discuss practical measures that could improve the program.

The taskforce presented the current implementation status, and the progress achieved so far is encouraging.

Currently, 50 DBU students are participating in DEMERA's Digital Skills Development Program. To strengthen access to the necessary learning resources, DEMERA has also provided 15 laptops to support students participating in the program.

The initiative is designed to provide students with more than theoretical knowledge. Its broader objective is to strengthen practical digital competencies, expose students to emerging technologies and internationally relevant learning resources, encourage independent and continuous learning, and help bridge the gap between university education and the skills increasingly required in the digital economy.

Through the program, students have an opportunity to develop technical knowledge while strengthening problem-solving, digital literacy, self-directed learning, and career readiness. Access to equipment and structured learning resources is particularly important in ensuring that students can translate learning into practical experience.

Building a Sustainable University Partnership

DEMERAs engagement with Debre Berhan University is intended to develop beyond a single training cycle.

Based on the progress of the current program and lessons learned from students, the taskforce, and university management, DEMERA is looking forward to further strengthening the Digital Skills Development Program and preparing for a second phase following the successful conclusion and evaluation of the current phase.

The discussions also opened opportunities to explore broader institutional collaboration. By connecting DEMERA's international network, digital learning resources, technology expertise, and capacity-building initiatives with DBU's academic programs, researchers, students, and institutional priorities, the partnership has the potential to support new initiatives in education, innovation, research, technology, and knowledge exchange.

Our objective is to develop a sustainable collaboration in which students gain practical opportunities, university capacity is strengthened, and academic knowledge is increasingly connected with emerging technologies and real-world challenges.

Appreciation and the Way Forward

Team DEMERA extends its appreciation to Dr. Asmare Melese Tiruneh and the management of Debre Berhan University for the constructive engagement and their commitment to the partnership.

We particularly thank Dr. Betel Geremew for her professional leadership and coordination of the program and for facilitating direct engagement between the DEMERA delegation, university management, the taskforce, and participating students.

Most importantly, we appreciate the students who openly shared their experiences, progress, and challenges. Their feedback will help shape the continued improvement of the program.

The visit reinforced a shared understanding: sustainable digital capacity development requires more than providing training or technology. It requires strong institutional partnership, access to resources, continuous engagement, practical learning opportunities, and a commitment to listening to the students the program is designed to serve.

The current progress is promising, but this is only the beginning.

The work continues.