Building and strengthening partnerships is key to helping African universities grow and impact society.
The first annual meeting of the Building Stronger Universities (BSU) Project Phase IV closed on Thursday, June 6, 2024, at Gulu University, with participating institutions agreeing that they needed to form partnerships at different levels.
BSU-IV was launched in June 2023 in Zanzibar and its implementation is led by Gulu University (Uganda), the State University of Zanzibar (Tanzania), and the University of Hargeisa (Somaliland).
BSU-IV partner institutions from Denmark include Aalborg University (AAU), the University of Copenhagen (UPCH), and Roskilde University (ROU).
The project targets to strengthen universities so that they can ably support processes that help to solve societal problems. Such problems include poverty and vulnerability to different circumstances related to conflicts, health and climate change.
The core BSU partnership is between African universities and Danish higher institutions of learning –anchored on research, teaching and community engagement – with Danida Fellowship Centre (DFC) facilitating the process.
Another key collaborative arrangement is between African universities, referred to as South-South partnerships, with Maseno University and the University of Rwanda listed as twinning partners for Gulu University in BSU-IV.
BSU partnership arrangements also include governmental and nongovernmental organisations.
During the three-day meeting, participants identified some key areas for collaboration including Pedagogy (approach to teaching), Research, Community Engagement, and Climate Change.
They seek to work together in knowledge creation and sharing, curriculum development and review, and the establishment or adoption of new teaching and learning approaches such as blended learning. They will also explore partnerships in resource mobilisation.
Stella Agara, the Programme Coordinator DFC/ MS Training Centre for Development Cooperation (MS-TCDC), and one of the facilitators of the meeting, emphasised the need for effective communication if the partnerships are to succeed.
Stella Agara
“One of the biggest drivers of partnerships is effective communication. Everybody who is part of the partnership should know what they need to know, and what they want to know,” Agara said. “Somebody may want to partner with you not necessarily to build a stronger university but to impact the community.”
Vibeke Quaade, the Senior Communication Consultant at DFC added: “BSU is a Knowledge Creation and Knowledge Sharing platform where you are building each other not only for ‘a stronger university’ but also to impact the community – that is what BSU is about.”
Vibeke Quaade
In her remarks, the Ambassador of Denmark to Uganda, H.E. Signe Winding Albjerg, said: “The BSU partnership illustrates the important role of African universities as knowledge producers and educators who will contribute to development in their respective societies.”
H.E. Signe Winding Albjerg
BSU is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark through DANIDA.
