The SUA BSU III project stakeholder workshops as part of strengthening the outreach arm of SUA. This workshop was organized by the Agricultural Value Chain (AVC) group and was held on January 24-26, 2019 at the School of Agricultural Economics and Business Studies (COEBS)
Building Stronger Universities Phase III (BSUIII)
The Building Stronger University initiative (BSU) is unique as it fills the gaps in institutional capacities at universities in the South that no other initiatives have focused on. BSUII involved new thematic foci and a fresh round of matchmaking processes that brought together researchers from Danish University Consortia and from universities in the South. The cooperation between Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) and a Consortium of Danish Universities (CDU) has progressed substantially. A top-down approach has deliberately been avoided and the direct collaboration between peers at the same level has ensured ownership and motivation from South and North. The number of institutions and the adjacent portfolio of individual competences on both the SUA and the Danish side have been well-balanced and effectively addressed the tasks.
Development of two new PhD programs (in Agricultural Value Chains, Agroecology) and one Master’s Program (in Aquaculture) with course portfolios is a major achievement. Curricula have been developed and are at different stages of approval by the university machinery and Tanzania Commission for Universities (TCU). Development of curricula involved consultations with various stakeholders including relevant industries. This process forged new university-industry linkages that potentially ensure sustainability of the PhD programs after BSU support is finalized due to their demand-driven nature. Further consolidation of BSUII activities will support the university’s efforts to improve collaboration with private and public actors in Tanzania. Anchorage of these curricula in the relevant academic units at SUA ensures institutional ownership and sustainability.
