• Your Excellency Dr. Fentaye Tibebu, Social Sector Advisor to the Head of Government of the Amhara Regional State and Guest of Honor; • Mr. Belay Bezabih, Director General of the Amhara Public Health Institute; • Mr. Melkamu Getnet, Deputy Head of the Amhara Regional Health Bureau; Distinguished Director Generals, Regional and Federal Leaders, Health Professionals, University Leaders, Researchers, Development Partners, APHI Staff, and Honored Guests; Ladies and Gentlemen, On behalf of the Forum for Higher Education Institutions in Amhara Region (Forum), it is my distinct honor to congratulate the Amhara Public Health Institute (APHI) on its 10th anniversary, celebrated under the theme “Ten Years of Service for Institutional Excellence.” Ten years ago, APHI was established with a vital mission: to safeguard public health, generate action-oriented scientific evidence, strengthen disease surveillance, and lead emergency responses. A decade later, APHI has accomplished far more than simply reaching a milestone. You have saved lives, contained epidemics, advanced research, and built a true stronghold for health security in our region and nation. As a close partner, Our Forum has observed your remarkable actual growth. We deeply appreciate your energy, dedication, and unwavering commitment to your mission. Excellency’s, Ladies and Gentlemen, Large-scale public health threats—such as malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and climate risks—demand integrated, multidisciplinary solutions. The alliance between APHI, our operational shield, and the Forum, our academic engine, is essential to overcoming these challenges. By pairing APHI’s field Experties with Forum’s research capabilities across our health ecosystem, we hold extraordinary potential. To fully realize this potential, we must focus on three strategic priorities: 1. To Align Research with Public Need, University research must directly address pressing regional health priorities. 2. To Bridge Education and Operations, Training programs must be tailored to meet real-world field operational demands. 3. To Integrate Early-Warning Systems, Uniting the Forum’s multi-campus expertise with APHI’s emergency response network will build a world-class outbreak detection system. Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen A decade ago, APHI was an inspiring vision; today, it is a vital pillar of our region. Moving forward, our collective success will depend on the strength of our institutional collaboration. I challenge the leadership of both APHI and Forum to strengthen this partnership through joint research centers, shared diagnostic infrastructure, and integrated emergency frameworks—setting a national benchmark for health cooperation. Our shared achievements over the past decade give us immense confidence for the future. As we step into this new decade together, I look forward to reaching even greater milestones and building an even stronger future side by side. Happy 10th Anniversary to APHI! Thank you.