Capacity Building and Employee Performance with Salary as Mediator in Post‑conflict Tigray Public Universities

The study investigates how capacity building affects employee performance in public universities in Tigray, Ethiopia, post-conflict, with salary as a mediating factor. Data from 398 staff members were analyzed using SEM using AMOS. Results show salary as the strongest and most significant predictor of performance, emphasizing its role in motivation and productivity. Training has a significant indirect effect through salary, suggesting its value depends on financial and career incentives. Education and resource deployment show weak, insignificant effects. The findings highlight that improving salaries and benefits is essential for enhancing performance and retaining staff in post-conflict higher education institutions.