Pakistan and Ethiopia have discussed a structured framework for cooperation in higher education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education, research and institutional linkages, with a draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on education cooperation at the centre of the talks. Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui received Ethiopian Ambassador to Pakistan Dr Oumer Hussien Oba at the Ministry of Education and Professional Training for a courtesy call, according to a press release. Dr Siddiqui said Pakistan attaches great importance to its longstanding and friendly relations with Ethiopia, which established diplomatic ties in 1973, and he described the opening of the Ethiopian Embassy in Islamabad in 2022 as an important step towards deeper engagement.
The draft MoU was shared with the Ethiopian side through diplomatic channels in December 2025. Dr Siddiqui welcomed an update from Ethiopia on its status and said Pakistan is ready to consider any comments in order to finalize a text that both sides can agree on. He proposed that focal persons from both sides engage to resolve outstanding issues once the comments of Ethiopia are received, after which the two countries could move towards finalization and signing through diplomatic channels. On higher education, he pointed to potential for joint seminars, workshops and webinars, guest lectures, visiting scholars, student networking, cultural exchanges, research showcases, innovation activities and the sharing of educational resources, and he encouraged direct linkages between universities and research institutions, subject to their mandates and applicable procedures.
Dr Siddiqui said direct links between universities could promote faculty interaction, research collaboration and greater academic exposure for students. He also saw considerable potential in technical and vocational education and skills development, and he highlighted the role of National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NAVTTC) of Pakistan and relevant Ethiopian institutions in exchanging expertise on skills development, competency standards, industry responsive training and institutional capacity building. He added that sharing information on emerging skills needs and labour market trends could help align training programmes with job opportunities. The two sides also discussed STEAM education, with an emphasis on inquiry based and interdisciplinary learning, research activities and the exchange of educational practices and teaching resources, and Dr Siddiqui said Pakistan is ready to collaborate with Ethiopia in these emerging areas.
Dr Siddiqui said both countries should work to turn their cordial relations into practical cooperation that creates tangible opportunities for students, teachers, educational institutions and the skills sector. Dr Oba appreciated the warm welcome and expressed his commitment to improving bilateral relations. He emphasized the importance of closer cooperation in education, research and institutional linkages, and he highlighted the potential for greater collaboration between universities and research institutions of the two countries. The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to advance the proposed cooperation framework and to identify concrete areas for collaboration, with the aim of deepening educational and people to people ties between Pakistan and Ethiopia.
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