By Sileshi Yilma/ Public and International Relations Directorate

A forum which aimed at creating a linkage between the Ethiopian Meat and Dairy Industry Development Institute (EMDIDI) and universities was held on May 3, 2014 at Bishoftu Town.
It was disclosed during the occasion that the linkage forum was arranged by the institute following the procedural directive for the Linkage of Education and Training, Research Institutions and Industry from FDRE Ministry of science and Technology.
In light of the procedural directives for the linkage and duties of the institute, the linkage forum was aimed at identifying possible stakeholders and establishing linkages among the institutions in three different development sectors: meat industry development, dairy industry development, and feed industry development.
EMDIDI has designed six organizational structures in order to generate 16 zonal linkage forums across Ethiopia in three different meat and dairy industry development sectors, according to Dr. Sewnet Mengistu, who is director of Community Based Education Directorate and who also represented Haramaya University (HU) in the meeting.
Along with other actors, from the 16 zonal linkage forums, there will be two linkage forums in HU will participate by following meat and dairy industry development corridor, Dr. Sewnet explained to HU Online. The first one is linkage forum of Jigjiga and the surrounding areas meat and meat byproduct processing industries, education and training, and research institutions. The other linkage forum HU is expected to participate is the linkage forum of Jigjiga and the surrounding areas dairy and dairy byproduct processing industries, education and training, and research institutions. The institute is responsible to communicate details of the structural organizations and implementation guidelines.
During the discussion, it was indicated that other similar forums will soon be established depending up on development corridors of national interest. In line with, HU’s Community Based Education Directorate is planning to forum a team comprising of various colleges (CAILR, IOT, CBE, CVM, and CAES), Dr. Sewnet explained to HU Online. This is to undertake actions that would help realizing the zonal forums to which HU belongs, he added.
Representatives from various universities and institutes, meat exporters and processors, dairy farms and processors, feed producers and processors, broilers and layers industry, and research centers took part in the meeting.
Established in 2013 as a federal government office by the Council of Ministers regulation, EMDIDI aims at providing all round support to the meat and dairy industry thereby accelerating technology transfer, achieving transformation, and enabling the industry to be competitive at international level. The linkage has also other benefits including facilitating the culture of joint planning and operation among various stakeholders, improving the capabilities of actors of linkages, and improving the roles and capacities of education and trainings as well as research institutes.