EPSU and Italy Advance Africa Project Training for Ethiopia’s Public Service Leaders
Addis Ababa, 09 April 2026 (EPSU) In a significant step toward strengthening public service capacity in Ethiopia, Ethiopian Public Service University (EPSU) today hosted His Excellency Ambassador Sem Fabrizi of Italy and His Excellency Deputy Head of Mission Luca Carpintieri for a high level preparatory visit. The focus of the visit was the imminent launch of the Africa Project, a flagship initiative under Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa, implemented by Italy’s National School of Administration (SNA). The Africa Project aims to enhance the skills of senior Ethiopian public leaders across critical governance and administrative domains.
EPSU is the designated host institution for the first round of training, which will host about 150 senior public service leaders drawn from more than 36 Ethiopian government institutions, alongside a dedicated group of competitively selected Training of Trainer (😭) participants from EPSU itself. The project reflects the deepening and mutually respectful partnership between Ethiopia and Italy in public administration capacity building.
The EPSU management team, led by Dr. Nigus Tadesse, President of EPSU, welcomed the Ambassador and Deputy Ambassador in the Senate Hall. Dr. Nigus Tadesse recalled his presence at the signing of the Africa Project in Rome and Caserta, noting: “That occasion was a moment of promise. Today, we are pleased to report that we are delivering on that promise.” He also emphasised that EPSU’s Internationalization and Partnership Directorate has identified areas of mutual collaboration that will be implemented on a phase by phase basis. Consistent with EPSU’s mandate to produce competent, ethical, and transformative public servants, Dr. Nigus Tadesse respectfully offered six areas for potential future cooperation with Italian institutions: joint executive training programmes on ethical leadership and performance management; applied research on public administration reform, including decentralisation and e governance; reciprocal faculty and staff exchanges; curriculum development support for degree programmes; annual policy dialogue forums; and distance learning initiatives to reach civil servants across Ethiopia’s regions.
Furthermore, Dr. Amanuel Kussia, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dr. Mitiku Adisu, Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer outlined possible academic and research focused collaborations with the SNA or Italian universities.
Dr. Dereje Teklemaram, Director of Internationalization and Partnership at EPSU, expressed gratitude to AICS, the Mattei Plan Mission Structure, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SNA, and all project partners. He extended his sincere appreciation to the Italian Embassy, Ambassador Sem Fabrizi, and Deputy Head of Mission Luca Carpintieri for their exemplary support. Dr. Dereje stated that EPSU has clearly outlined areas of international collaboration and the institution is ready to proceed with them. He further noted that training preparations are advancing well in close coordination with the SNA.
Ambassador Sem Fabrizi expressed Italy’s commitment to supporting collaboration with EPSU across various areas. He noted that the Italian Embassy would also facilitate inter institutional cooperation in cultural and community exchanges. The Ambassador commended EPSU’s preparations and appreciated that necessary preparations including participant selections have been finalised. He expressed confidence that the training would contribute meaningfully to the capacities of Ethiopian senior public service leaders in the five targeted areas. The Africa Project training, a concrete expression of Italy’s Mattei Plan for Africa, is set to launch in late May 2026, marking a tangible milestone in Ethiopia Italy cooperation for public service transformation.