June 20 , 2025
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed officially inaugurated the Permanent Exhibition Section at the Ethiopia Science Museum, marking the completion of establishing a fully interactive, permanent science venue in Addis Ababa. The event also featured the unveiling of Ethiopia’s first-ever Planetarium Dome expanding the country’s scientific and educational landscape.
The newly launched permanent exhibition offers visitors an immersive experience across five major thematic areas: artificial intelligence, climate change and Ethiopia’s response, agriculture, hydropower, and aeronautics and aviation. Together, these sections showcase the nation’s growing commitment to leveraging science and technology for sustainable progress.
The exhibition is intentionally designed to be fully interactive, providing visitors, especially students and young innovators, with access to technology and scientific concepts that are often out of reach in conventional academic settings in Ethiopia. The Science Museum aims to close this gap by offering practical, hands-on learning experiences that can inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers, and technology leaders.
The centerpiece of the museum’s expansion is the Planetarium Dome, a state-of-the-art digital theater that stands as the first of its kind in Ethiopia. With a diameter of 36 meters and covering more than 1,000 square meters, the dome can accommodate over 200 visitors at a time. Equipped with advanced 4K projection systems, the planetarium provides an extraordinary visual journey through the cosmos, bringing high-resolution astronomical content to life in a captivating and accessible way.
In his keynote address, Prime Minister Abiy described the museum as a vital national asset, emphasizing its role in building the Ethiopia of tomorrow. “The permanent exhibition is a great asset for us to build tomorrow’s Ethiopia,” he said. The Prime Minister called on families, teachers, and community leaders to bring children to the museum, stating that early exposure to science and technology will encourage young people to protect, enrich, and strengthen their country in the years to come. “Anyone who wants to create, see, and experience the future should visit the Science Museum,” he added, encouraging visits especially during the rainy season when indoor educational activities are most beneficial.
The Science Museum itself was originally inaugurated in October 2022 as part of the Addis Riverside Green Development Project, a large-scale urban revitalization initiative supported by Chinese cooperation. The museum’s distinctive circular design, known as the “Ring of Wisdom,” became a symbol of Ethiopia’s growing focus on digital transformation and scientific advancement.