In 1983 she was awarded the Tanzanian National Award by President Julius Nyerere for her contribution to the development of the Tanzanian Small Industries Development Organization (SIDO).
Mekonnen received awards and recognition from His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, president Jomo Kenyatta of Kenya, president Idi Amin of Uganda, and president Julius Nyerere of Tanzania.
The academy was constructed with assistance from the Government of China and was formally inaugurated by President Julius Nyerere in 1976.
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Community Development became a part of the Ujamaa Villages established in Tanzania by Julius Nyerere, where it had some success in assisting with the delivery of education services throughout rural areas, but has elsewhere met with mixed success.