Al-Mukalla | Tuesday, December 23, 2025
As part of the third day of the “Academic Development Week” organized by Hadhramout University (December 21–25, 2025), Prof. Dr. Mohamed Saeed Khanbash, University President, delivered an insightful lecture entitled:
“Hadhramout University: A Driving Force for Prosperity, International Excellence, and Knowledge Center Development — Reality and Challenges.”
At the outset, the University President reviewed the historical journey of the institution since its establishment in 1993, highlighting its rapid growth to encompass 13 faculties currently serving more than 12,600 undergraduate students and approximately 880 postgraduate students enrolled in specialized academic programs designed to meet local and regional market needs.
Dr. Khanbash emphasized the University’s pioneering role in sustainable development, noting that it has supplied the labor market with over 48,000 graduates, many of whom hold senior leadership positions in government and private sector institutions. He also underscored the University’s contributions to innovation and research through publishing high-quality studies, registering more than 100 patents, and promoting entrepreneurship via the Hadhramout University Business Incubator and the Center for Entrepreneurial Project Support.
In the second theme, the President affirmed that ambitions have extended beyond the local scope toward global recognition. Key achievements include entering the QS Arab Region Ranking for the second consecutive year, obtaining official accreditation from the European Union Commission for scholarships, launching the “Welcome to Hadhramout” program offering 500 annual scholarships for international students, and establishing research partnerships with universities in Italy, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
The lecture also addressed current challenges, such as financial constraints, inadequate infrastructure, frequent power outages, and the difficult political and economic conditions facing the country. Dr. Khanbash presented a roadmap for the future, which includes achieving a position among the top 100 Arab universities in the QS ranking, full digital transformation in administrative and academic operations, advancing research policies and creating specialized research centers (such as the Petroleum Research Center), and introducing academic programs aligned with future job markets.
He concluded by reaffirming that Hadhramout University, despite all circumstances, will remain a model for leveraging higher education as a driver of prosperity and development, and a locomotive leading society toward building knowledge centers through the collective efforts of its academic and administrative staff.
