Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed has announced plans to establish an Artificial Intelligence (AI) University in Ethiopia, with preparatory work expected to be completed within the next six months.
According to the Prime Minister, the university will initially graduate up to 1,000 students, of whom 100 will be accepted via scholarship awards. As part of its continental outreach, the government plans to allocate two scholarship slots to each African country. He added that admission will be highly competitive, with only up to two percent of applicants expected to be accepted, underscoring the institution’s elite and selective status.
The Prime Minister said the objective is to build a small but highly skilled and practically trained pool of human capital focused exclusively on artificial intelligence, including machine learning, robotics, and related practical studies.
The announcement was made during the 75th anniversary celebration of Addis Ababa University, where the Prime Minister presented a panel study to members of the academic community. In his address, he linked the AI University to the government’s broader vision of strengthening Ethiopia’s technological competitiveness.
He emphasized that the initiative is part of Ethiopia’s long-term development strategy to position the country as a model for African development by 2030/31, and as a globally competitive nation by 2047/48. The Prime Minister framed the project as central to achieving economic sovereignty, human dignity, and reduced dependence on foreign aid, alongside improving Ethiopia’s international credit standing.
Prime Minister Abiy noted that the institution will be exclusively dedicated to AI, making it the second of its kind in the world if implemented swiftly.
