A four-day discussion on the draft strategic plan for the next five years of the Addis Ababa University (AAU) will begin on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. Reliable sources told Fortune that Prime Minister Meles Zenawi will open the discussion on Tuesday morning with a speech on his government’s programmes in relation to higher education institutions.
 

Also among the participants will be university presidents from 12 countries, former AAU lecturers, supporting staff, government officials and others that have working relations with the University.
 

The discussion will be held in the Addis Ababa Assembly Hall located on the road that runs from Sidist Kilo to Shiro Meda, officially known as Algeria Road. 800 to 1000 students of the  University are expected to attend the discussion each day.
 

The strategic plan has been drafted and discussed over the last eight months. The plan that has already been discussed by the University administration, the academic and supporting staff along with students still requires an implementation strategy before it can be enacted at a faculty level.
 

This detailed strategy will be completed by April 2007. A member of the draft’s steering committee told Fortune that the plan would be implemented after 18 months if everything goes according to schedule.
 

The over 50-year-old University is said to have no strategy plan for its overall mission and vision besides a 1972 Development Plan.