Arba Minch University hosted 9th national symposium on Research for Development at Main Campus, from February 24th to 25th, 2023. Click here to see more Photos.

AMU Executive Research Directorate’s Director, Dr. Tesfaye Habtemariam, giving a lowdown on the program said, the symposium is jointly hosted with research co-ordination offices of College of Social Sciences and Humanities, College of Business & Economics, School of Law and School of Pedagogical & Behavioral Sciences of the University. He added that the symposium is organized to generate intense scientific discourse within the scientific community of the academia with the intent of encouraging and inspiring participants to learn innovative ideas from each other and enhance respective research endeavors in the future.

Officially opening the symposium, the University Research and Community Engagement Vice President, Behailu Merdekios, Associate Professor, said that the university has been conducting national and international research symposiums for over decades and that has remained as one of AMU’s successful legacies over the years and will also be continuing for years to come.  He further adds that as a research university, AMU is striving to take all its breath and effort to keep it at a higher level on its years-long reputability.

Dr. Mesfin Tilahun, an Economist, delivering his keynote speech said sustainable development aims to meet human development goals without undermining the needs of the future generation and the stability of the natural system. According to Dr. Mesfin, economic growth alone does not ensure sustainable development and he pointed out that sustainable development, on the other hand, is about balancing the issue of nature and society beyond the economy.  He underlined that the essence of research in enhancing growth and sustainable development of any system or organization is significant; thus, research on development should focus on real development agendas, forward looking, participatory, innovative, multidisciplinary and able to inform policymakers, he underlined.

Mr. Solomon Sapo, Assistant Professor from AMU, presenting his research finding on “School Leadership and Education Quality Enhancement in Primary Schools of Gamo Zone” said, school leaders like principals, vice-principals, and supervisors are supposed to play instructional leadership roles instrumentally for education quality enhancement. Mr Solomon notes that the research result indicates school leaders are moderately playing their school role. To enhance and promote quality education, making school leaders effectively apply instructional leadership style, providing school infrastructures and educational resources, ensuring active parental and community participation at a high level and promoting teachers' leadership role in primary schools is mandatory, he recommended.

The other presenter, Mr. Tadele Alemeneh, PhD candidate in Development Economics at AMU, presenting his finding on “Impact of Urban Expansion on Income of Evicted Farmers in the Peri-Urban areas of Amhara Regional State” said, the rate of urbanization in Amhara region has increased over the past three decades and, in the study, he investigated the impact of horizontal urban expansion on the income of evicted peri-urban farmers in Injibara, Burie, and Gish Abay towns. According to him the result revealed that the eviction reduced the annual income of evicted farmers by 26.73%. He recommended that the government is expected to conduct a comprehensive socioeconomic and demographic evaluation before evicting indigenous farmers and an alternative strategy should be developed to mitigate the negative effects of eviction on peri-urban farmers. Moreover, viable displacement rehabilitation packages, revised land compensation programs, and adaption of new models of urban expansion such as the vertical urban expansion model are also needed, he argued.

At the symposium, two keynote speeches from eminent researchers were delivered and 45 research papers from AMU and other Ethiopian Universities and research institutes were presented.

Researchers from Arba Minch, Addis Ababa, Jimma, Bahir Dar, Gondar, Hawassa, Woldia, Mettu, Wolaita Sodo, Haramaya, Debre Markos, and Debre Tabor universities participated; AMU top and mid-level officials, research and academic staff were in attendance.

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