Madda Walabu University

About Madda Walabu University

Madda Walabu University (MWU) is a public university founded in March 2005 by Council of Ministers, Regulations No. 236/2011, as an autonomous higher education institution under the management of the Federal Ministry of Education. It is strategically located between the Bale highlands and lowlands, near the internationally recognized Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP), one of Africa’s key biodiversity hotspots. Bale is one of Ethiopia’s major agricultural production zones, especially known as an important wheat belt, while also rich in forests, wildlife, and tourism resources.

MWU has three campuses: Robe Main Campus, Goba Health Campus, and Shashemene Campus. The mission of MWU is to produce competent, entrepreneurial, and employable graduates, and to provide need-based community services and problem-solving research outputs. The University is thriving, with a vision of becoming one of the top five “societal problem-solving” universities in Ethiopia by 2030, by advancing academic excellence, applied research, innovation, and impactful community engagement, with a motto of “Excellence through Diversity”.

Currently, MWU has 8 colleges and one School. The university offers 58 undergraduate, 54 MSc, and 6 PhD programs in different disciplines. The university gives special emphasis to Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Ecotourism as key areas of excellence. Through teaching, research, and community outreach, MWU actively engages in projects on coffee production improvement, ecosystem restoration, climate-smart agriculture, improved wheat technologies, and livelihood development.

Strategic Location and Research Capacity

MWU’s location within the Bale Eco-Region makes it highly suitable for projects related to climate-smart agriculture, coffee production, biodiversity conservation, natural resource management, sustainable tourism, and watershed and landscape restoration. The university operates three research sites at Ginir, Bedere, and the Main Campus, representing different agro-ecological conditions from highland to lowland areas.

International Partnerships

MWU has extensive experience in implementing research, development, and community service projects in collaboration with leading national and international organizations, including Farm Africa Grow Further, USAID, Africa RISING, International Water Management Institute, WaterAid Ethiopia, Jersey Overseas Aid, GIZ, International Organization for Migration, European Union, International Foundation for Science, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Norwegian Institute of Bio-economy Research, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, MELCA Ethiopia, COOPI, The Environment and Coffee Forest Forum (ECFF), and University of Cambridge. These collaborations demonstrate MWU’s strong institutional capacity in project management, research implementation, and stakeholder coordination.

Institution

• Name: Madda Walabu University
• Location: Bale Robe, Ethiopia
• Address: P.O.Box 247 Madda Walabu
• Website: https://newwebmwu.vercel.app

CoffeeLand Project Information

Project Name: Optimizing Carbon, Soil Health, and Yield in Coffee–Forest Systems as Climate-Smart Land Management in Ethiopia (CoffeeLand Project)

Project Partner: Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research

Project Location: Bale-Robe, Ethiopia

CoffeeLand Research Team