Ethiopian Minister Earns PhD from KAIST: "Will Benchmark Korea's Growth"

Mekuria, Advisor to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, who earned a Ph.D. from KAIST

[Asia Economy Reporter Junho Hwang] A current Ethiopian minister has earned a doctoral degree from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). He expressed his desire to contribute to Ethiopia's development by studying South Korea's growth from one of the poorest countries to a major power.

KAIST announced on the 8th that Mekuria Teklemariam, an Ethiopian minister advising the Prime Minister and turning 50 this year, obtained a Ph.D. from the Graduate School of Global IT Technology in the Department of Technology Management and Economics. Minister Mekuria started his doctoral program at KAIST in September 2016 and earned his Doctor of Business Administration degree last August, four years later.

A Challenging Journey to Study in Korea

It was not easy for a sitting minister to receive a doctoral degree in Korea. Minister Mekuria was appointed as Minister of Urban Development and Housing at the age of 40, becoming the youngest minister in Ethiopian history. Over the next six years, he led Ethiopia's economic development through policies on urban and smart city development, land management, and housing development. However, he decided to continue his studies to expand his administrative capabilities. In particular, he chose to study in Korea to research the case of Korea's growth from one of the poorest countries to a major power and contribute to his country's development.

Subsequently, Minister Mekuria applied to KAIST. KAIST offered the best environment to continue his studies in every aspect, including expertise in science and technology, excellent research outcomes, and a graduate program specialized in globalization. After about six months of preparation, he was admitted to KAIST Graduate School in 2015. However, Minister Mekuria could not set foot in Korea because his resignation was rejected again. Undeterred, he took a leave of absence and, together with his advisor, Professor Youngsun Kwon of the Department of Technology Management and Economics, persuaded the Ethiopian government.

The Ethiopian government confirmed Minister Mekuria's determination and held a nine-member committee meeting to vote on his study abroad. The majority of the committee members supported his decision to pursue studies for national development. Minister Mekuria was able to embark on his study abroad journey after changing his position from Minister of Urban Development and Housing to Minister advising the Prime Minister.

Earning a Doctoral Degree in Four Years

President Shin Sung-chul of KAIST/Daejeon=Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

Starting his life in Korea in the fall of 2016, Minister Mekuria devoted himself to his studies for the past four years. He researched topics such as the impact of bridging the information gap on economic growth and corruption control, and policies for the dissemination and expansion of ultra-high-speed internet in developing countries, presenting his findings at domestic and international conferences. In particular, he conducted collaborative research with the Korea Information Society Development Institute and the Science and Technology Policy Institute, receiving the Excellent Collaborative Research Award twice in 2018 from the Graduate School of Global IT Technology.

His dissertation research on "Tailored Mobile Ultra-High-Speed Internet Diffusion Policies by Diffusion Stage" was published in "Telecommunications Policy," an SSCI journal recognized as one of the top international journals in the field of information and communication.

Based on these achievements, Minister Mekuria was honored as the top graduate of the Graduate School of Global IT Technology and received his doctoral degree on the 13th of last month. On the 18th of last month, he met with KAIST President Sung-Chul Shin and stated, "I want to contribute to enhancing the competitiveness of Ethiopian science and technology universities by benchmarking KAIST's research, administration, and industry-academia cooperation, which I have directly experienced over the past four years." He cited Korea's Saemaul Undong (New Village Movement), infrastructure development enabling easy internet access for everyone, and IT utilization education programs for the elderly as Korean policy examples he wishes to apply in Ethiopia.

Minister Mekuria said, "I have been deeply impressed by Koreans who strive to fulfill their roles wherever they are, not just in words but in actions." He added, "I will apply and practice what I have learned in Korea and at KAIST in Ethiopia."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.