Jinka University (JKU) was established on 23 October 2015 with endorsement of the Council of Ministers of Ethiopia. JKU is one of the 11 universities to be built during the Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II) period, 2015/16–2019/20. Jinka University is found in South Omo Zone, Southern Nation Nationalities and People’s Region (SNNPR). Jinka, the zonal capital, is located at 750 km from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and 520 km from Hawassa, the capital of SNNPR.
South Omo Zone is bordered by Gamo Gofa Zone and Konta Special Wereda on the north, Segen Area Peoples Zone on the east, the Borena Zone of Oromia Region on the southeast, the Republic of Kenya on the south, the Republic of South Sudan on the southwest, and Bench Maji Zone on the west. South Omo Zone hosts 16 of the 80+ ethnic groups belonging to the three of the four language families in Ethiopia. Hence, the zone is considered as little Ethiopia. Besides South Omo’s cultural and biological diversity and natural beauty, it needs to be noted that the Lower Omo Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The inhabitants of the Lower Omo Valley are largely agro-pastoralists, while the rest in the highlands are predominantly agriculturalists producing cereals, coffee, etc. With the establishment of mega national projects such as the Omo-Kuraz Sugar Development Project and the Gibe III Hydroelectric Project, the South Omo area is becoming a development corridor in Ethiopia.
Jinka University aspires to turn the various opportunities in South Omo Zone (cultural diversity, biodiversity, livestock production, crop production, industrial development, and hydropower, among others) into comparative advantage to identify key centers of excellence. It also strives to provide quality education and research opportunities in a way that meets the needs of the region and the country. Jinka University, as a public institution of higher education, must orient itself to advance student-centered governance and education as well as development-oriented and technology transfer-focused research that best supports the fulfillment of the primary national goals of democratization and the achievement of other national priorities.
Based on Higher Education Proclamation 650/2009, Jinka University’s governing and advisory body comprises the following: Board, President, University Senate, Managing Council, University Council, College Council, Department Council, and Standing, advisory and/or specialized committees. Structurally, the University has the following five major offices accountable to the President and each constituted by directorates. These include the Office of the President (with 11 directorates), the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs (4 directorates and 4 deans), the Office of the Vice President for Administration and Student Services (6 directorates), the Office of the Vice President for Research and Community Services (3 directorates), and the Office of the Vice President for Business and Development (2 directorates).
JKU has stared operation with the 4 colleges and 14 departments. The Collage of Agriculture and Natural Resources consists of 4 departments: Agricultural Economics, Animal Science, Natural Resource Management, and Plant science. The College of Natural and Computational Sciences comprises 4 departments: Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and Physics. The College of Social Sciences and Humanities has 3 departments: English Language and Literature, Geography, and History and Heritage Management. The Colleges of Business and Economics consists of 3 departments: Accounting and Finance, Economics, and Management. JKU plans to open some eight new departments within the existing colleges in 2013.
Contact Address
Jinka University
PO Box 165
Jinka, Ethiopia