Since 2020, the Africa-France Academic Partnerships (PeA) program has financed Franco-African academic partnerships working to develop professional training courses (bachelor's, master's and/or doctorate) in priority economic sectors for African partner countries. On the occasion of the call for projects of the 3e edition, open until May 6, 2025, Professor Emmanuel Duc shares his feedback with us as co-leader with Getasew Taddese of the Éthiope 4.0 project, winner of the previous edition. Resulting from a partnership between the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, in Ethiopia, and Clermont Auvergne INP, in France, this project aims to structure a partnership training sector in the field of advanced technologies linked to industry 4.0, for respond to the development of this sector in Ethiopia.
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How did the idea of the Ethiopia 4.0 project emerge and the construction of the partnership between the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology (AAIT) in Ethiopia and the Institut national polytechnique Clermont-Auvergne in France ?
Emmanuel Duc: The project was born from a first collaboration between the two establishments from 2019 to 2021 as part of Getasew Taddese's thesis. His subject already focused on methodologies linked to industry 4.0. During his thesis, he was able to better appreciate recent Industry 4.0 technologies and discover the French education system. He then considered it interesting to develop training on this theme at the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology to support the industrial development initiated in Ethiopia. We wanted to deepen this collaboration and give it an additional dimension to sustain it over time. When the PeA call for projects appeared in 2022, we saw an opportunity to enrich this first approach around more concrete issues linked to robotization or additive manufacturing. We wanted to share the technological achievements of our establishment with our partner.
In 2022, what motivated you to respond to the PeA call for projects ?
We were motivated by two aspects. The first concerned the sustainability of our relationship. The second is more fundamental, it concerned the level of technological development to be provided to our partner in a globalized world, for which the transport of goods has a strong environmental impact. Value creation in Ethiopia requires the development of a local industry capable of meeting local needs and not through the importation of consumer goods. To do this, it is necessary to disseminate the methods and techniques that make it possible to quickly achieve an efficient industry, while minimizing its environmental footprint. Thus, the creation of a technical platform and the modernization of training materials are key keys to the project.
The quality of your file had been noted. Would you have some advice to give to those who wish to submit a project to the third PeA call for projects? ?
Be creative and original ! The PeA is an excellent opportunity to finance projects or ideas that do not fall within the usual financing frameworks. It makes it possible to address training issues in an international context. We quickly see that the approach is not only enriching for our African partner, because it forces us to question and challenge our own teaching practices.
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But be careful, it requires strong commitment from the teams and above all it must correspond to a real need of our African partner. The file must show both a certain originality or even a break, an ambition, but also be very pragmatic in its implementation. In our project, the installation of a 4.0 technological platform raises the question of the technological level necessary to support Ethiopia in its technological breakthrough, while ensuring excellent employability of students.
Since the launch of Ethiopia 4.0 in September 2023, what main actions have been carried out thanks to the support of the PeA ?
We focused on purchasing and shipping materials, which takes a lot of time. Currently, we are welcoming several doctoral students and several teachers in France to train them and prepare the sending of new materials. These exchanges allow us to enter a more active phase of collaboration. Furthermore, new training programs have been developed and are being evaluated by Ethiopian educational authorities.
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