Dire-Dawa University is a young public institution which was established and started its academic activities in the 2006/07 academic year. The establishment of the University is in line with the government's policy of expanding quality higher education and ensuring its equitable distribution across the country. Dire-Dawa University is located in the industrial and commercial city called Dire-Dawa
located about 500Km east of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. With a population size of about 360,000, Dire Dawa is Ethiopia's second largest city. Dire Dawa was founded in 1902 after the Addis Ababa - Djibouti Railway construction reached the area. Dire Dawa built in a low-lying landscape, which made it ideal for construction of the railway and settlement, and it soon became a vibrant urban center. Dire Dawa is one of the two chartered cities in Ethiopia, the other being Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa. Dire Dawa is a cosmopolitan city with mosaic culture and its population is known for its mutual respect, tolerance and most of all its hospitality. Everybody feels at home in Dire Dawa, and this together with industry and commerce dominated economic settings makes it a very suitable place for a university and university community.
