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GFCT-STEMpower officially inaugurated Ethiopia’s 24th STEM Center, this latest Center at Wollo University on November 12, 2019. Wollo University is nestled high into the mountains of Amhara regional state. The new STEM Center is equipped with electronics and virtual computer labs with more labs to be added in the coming years. The Center will be run by STEMpower in partnership with the Wollo University, providing hands-on STEM education & innovation for students at the university and pre-college.
Mr. Mark Gelfand, Founder, Mrs. Kidist Gebreamlak, President, & Wollo University Staff
As it did for more than a decade, GFCT - STEMpower will continue to establish more STEM centers across Ethiopia to enrich pre-university students. With its advanced labs and project-based learning environment, the organization foster students, innovators and job creators.
During the opening ceremony, Dr. Mengesha Ayene, Academic Affairs Vice President at Wollo University, noted that the university was established in 1997. In 2019, the University grew its capacity and enrolled over 28,000 students. He further highlighted that having a STEM center on the university grounds will greatly contribute to its vision and mission, specifically in pursuing practical engineering and science education provided by hands-on labs.
During the inauguration, Mr. Mark Gelfand, Founder of GFCT - STEMpower shared the history of GFCT - STEMpower and pointed out the impacts of hands-on STEM labs in inspiring engineers, innovators and tech-industrialists who would contribute to Ethiopia’s technology and economic development. GFCT - STEMpower has been the guiding vision behind all of the STEM Centers, the initial funder, the main procurer of lab equipment, and donor of specialized lab furniture. Thereafter the Ethiopian government sustains the Centers into perpetuity.
In addition to opening STEM centers in Ethiopia and Sub-Saharan Africa, GFCT - STEMpower is venturing into Incubation Acceleration, where innovators will be trained in Entrepreneurship, Human-Centered Design-Thinking and other relevant themes, as well as get legal, technical, and financial support to produce viable prototypes to attract tech-investors, in partnership with the Ministry of Innovation and Technology (MiNT) and GFCT -STEMpower collaborators. GFCT - STEMpower is creating a value chain of experiential STEM Education, Innovation, Industrialization and Job Creation.
GFCT - STEMpower envision a country where engineers innovate goods and services beyond meeting the local in-country demand for advanced 21st century tech-industrial output and export.
