The role played by mass media and press agencies in promoting democracy and the development of any given country is indisputable. As a developing nation, engaged in bringing tangible social and economic change, Ethiopia needs well-qualified journalists and communicators. The country has long been in need of such professionals since until very recently none of its higher institutions offered a Journalism and Communications programme of study.
 
The Department of Journalism and Communication at Mekelle University is one of ten departments under the College of Social Sciences and Languages. It is forms one of six universities providing journalism and communication education in Ethiopia but is currently suffering compared to the other departments due to a severe of lack of capacity building and equipment. Presently, the Department’s sixth batch of students is in its final year, accepting between 120 to 160 students per year assigned to it by the Ministry of Education, a range which may be exceeded in the coming years. Unlike traditional classroom-based streams, journalism and communication education requires heavy infrastructure and well trained manpower. Today, in the world of globalization, it is compulsory to equip future journalists with hands-on practice of the profession and expose them to the latest technology. However, unlike the relatively vibrant academic members and students it has, the Department of Journalism and Communication at Mekelle University department heavily lacks sound professionals and practical equipment.
 
Hence, this project proposal has been prepared with the aim of ensuring the future growth of the department by equipping it with the latest media technology. The long term purpose of this project is aimed at training media professionals who will become strong pillars of democracy, good governance and accountability in Ethiopia. Specifically, this project will help the Department of Journalism and Communication at Mekelle University turn its theoretical courses into practical, open specializations in print and broadcast streams, and propose postgraduate programmes in line with the UNESCO Model Curricula. Moreover, it shall be instrumental in building the capacity of the department so that it can contribute to the empowerment of the young profession in the country.