The University of South Africa (UNISA) has requested that it be given additional space for classrooms and a library at the Ethiopian Academy of Financial Studies (EAFS) located in the Akaki area, 20km east of Addis Abeba, six months after the Prime Minister ordered office space to be given to the University for free.

The five-member UNISA delegation, led by Professor Hendrik Louw, visited Addis Abeba for four days after their arrival on Monday, October 2, 2006, during which time they discussed their request; an agreement was still not reached by the end of the meetings between the University and the owner of the EAFS, the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE).

Louw told Fortune that UNISA intends to establish an East African Centre on the school premises.

“We have come to realize that there are many students, from Ethiopia and neighbouring countries, that want to engage in the long distance learning program,” he said. “Therefore, we see a need for having classrooms and a library.”

The Professor was nevertheless not willing to specify how many classes UNISA wanted.

UNISA has 244,000 students all over the world and has a goal to enrol another 8,000 in this new school within four years.

The Akaki Academy, lies on a 165, 000sqm plot and was built by AKIR Construction Plc and a consulting, company, Universal Consultants Consulting Architects and Engineers. Construction first started in 2001, with a 67.3 million Br budget, but by the time of completion in December 2005, 120 million Br had been spent.

Nevertheless, ever since construction, the Academy, which has the capacity to enrol and train 500 students at a time, has been left idle.

During the talks held between Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of UNISA, Professor N. Braney Pitayane, on his visit to Ethiopia in March 2006, the Ethiopian Government promised the 130 year-old UNISA that it would give it any support it needed if it came into Ethiopia. After a month, the Office of the Prime Minister granted the South African University some of the idle Akaki Academy office rooms.

Following this decision, the NBE management tried to quickly move the EAFS from the Construction and Business Bank Building in which it has been renting for over 30 years to the new Akaki campus. But it still has yet to do so.

The South African delegation, which arrived in Ethiopia last Monday, went to the Office of the Prime Minister to request the additional space they needed. The Office then directed them to NBE, so that an agreement could be reached between the two.

According to sources from NBE, the delegation from UNISA also asked that they be permitted to fly the South African flag within the Academy’s compound.

Despite the demands made, the delegation left on Friday October 6, 2006, without having reached an agreement with NBE.

“We want to teach a lot of students, hence we need to have more educational facilities,” Luow said.

Dr. Eyob Tesfaye, director of EAFS, was part of the discussion between the UNISA delegation and NBE stated that he did not want to comment at this time.

A member of top management staff at NBE told Fortune that it is very good for Ethiopia when a university as experienced and renowned as UNISA comes into the country.

“But,” he said, “wanting to use a public institution, which has cost a lot of money, for free, does not make sense.”

Sources said to Fortune that marketing people from UNISA will be coming to Ethiopia in two weeks time to enrol students. Luow has said that they will start teaching by the end of October 2006.

Following a discussion with the Ethiopian Telecommunication Corporation (ETC), it was agreed that a Wide Area Network (WAN) was to be installed; as far as the installation of a Campus Area Network goes, NBE has issued a tender with 15 million Br allocated to the latter’s installation process. Companies are competing for the contract.