Jimma University (JU) hosted a high-level consultative meeting with senior delegates from the Ministry of Health (MoH), World Health Organization (WHO), Ethiopian Entrepreneurship Development Institute (EEDI), and the Ministry of Education (MoE) to discuss pathways for scaling up an innovative health project developed at the University. The meeting brought together national leaders, institutional partners, and JU leadership, including Dr. Jemal Abafita (President), Prof. Muluemebet Abera (Vice President for Research and Partnerships), and Prof. Ahmed Zeynudin (Chief Executive, Jimma Institute of Health).
The meeting is preceded by a visit to Jimma University microbiology laboratory, where the innovation is being developed. Participants were briefed on the laboratory workflow and production process and were shown experimental results demonstrating the feasibility and performance of locally produced antimicrobial susceptibility discs in comparison with commercial products.
The discussion centered on the Local Production of Antimicrobial Susceptibility Discs in Ethiopia (LoPAD) project, which received seed funding through the WHO LEAD Innovation Challenge. Dr. Habtewold Deti, the Project Lead, welcomed the delegations and presented the project’s objectives, progress, and readiness for scale-up. He highlighted how local production of antibiotic discs can reduce dependence on costly and inconsistently available imports, strengthen sustainability, and enhance national ownership. The project team demonstrated feasibility through laboratory-based production at JU, achieving results comparable to commercial discs across key parameters, and outlined the support required for expansion.
Representatives from MoH presented the National Health Innovation Incubation and Acceleration Program, emphasizing efforts to strengthen the innovation ecosystem through coordinated support and policy alignment. Mr. Boru Shana, Deputy CEO of EEDI, discussed entrepreneurship and commercialization pathways, noting system-level enablers as well as common bottlenecks that risk the loss of promising innovations before they reach the market. The WHO delegation, led by Dr. Bejoy P. Nambiar, reaffirmed WHO’s commitment to funding and providing technical support for health innovations in close collaboration with MoH.
A forward-looking discussion, co-chaired by Dr. Abas Hassen (MoH) and Dr. Jemal Abafita (JU), identified opportunities and challenges across the innovation ecosystem, including gaps in national standards, procurement hurdles, and regulatory constraints. Participants underscored the need to scale up the LoPAD project and recommended accelerated pathways, including stronger partnerships with industry. Mr. Teshome Daniel (MoE) outlined ongoing initiatives to promote university-based innovation and research-to-commercialization, highlighting recent policy measures to support these efforts.
In closing, Dr. Abas Hassen summarized shared institutional responsibilities for scaling up LoPAD, noted MoH’s engagement with the Ethiopian Food and Drug Authority to ease regulatory bottlenecks, and announced MoH’s commitment to support LoPAD and other health innovations. He further stated that, given JU’s national leadership in health innovation, the University will serve as a principal testing site for health innovations, with a national health innovation forum planned at JU. Dr. Jemal Abafita thanked the visiting delegations and WHO for supporting the LoPAD project and emphasized the importance of collaboration to advance JU’s many health innovations toward commercialization.
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