Presentation by Teshome&tully at the Biennial Conference, 2012

1. Higher Education for Development (HED)
Higher Education Partnerships: Experiences & Impacts
in sub-Saharan Africa
Teshome Y. Alemneh
Presentation at the &
3rd RUFORUM Biennial Conference
Tully Cornick
Entebbe, Uganda
September 24-28, 2012
Higher Education for Development
One Dupont Circle, Suite 420
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 243-7680
www.HEDprogram.org

2. Africa’s Capacity Challenges
• Tertiary level HUMAN CAPITAL
extremely low:
– The available capacity is variable in terms of
quality and competitiveness to ensure
sustained development.
• INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY limited:
– Organizational infrastructure limited
– Commonly dysfunctional systems.

3. Does Higher Education have a
role?
Is partnership effective
mechanism?

4. Higher Education & Development in Africa
• Developing higher education institutions
and systems in Africa is no more a luxury
– it is a development imperative.
• Higher Education – path that is likely to
lead to sustained knowledge-intensive &
problem-solving approach to
development.

5. Africa’s HE Challenges (Contd.)
• Critical shortage and ageing of faculty.
• Quality & relevance of curriculum/academic
programs.
• Limitations in instructional resources
(laboratories, libraries, etc.).
• Limitations in management and administration
capacities (skills, systems, etc.)
• Constraints in budget and limited capacity in
financial diversification (resource mobilization).

6. Higher Education Partnerships?
• Mechanism of collaboration between
institutions for common goal and mutual
benefit while solving development
challenges:
– COMMON GOAL – Human & Institutional
Capacity Development.
– MUTUAL BENEFIT – Shared learning;
recognition of capacities and limitations.

7. Why HEd Partnerships?
• Cost effective and sustainable mechanisms
of solving societal problems and addressing
science, education and technology issues in
Africa.
• Serve as a mechanism helping ignite &
rekindle innovation and problem-solving
potential of the higher education community
& institutions in Africa.

8. Partnerships…
• Results-oriented & PROBLEM-SOLVING -
targeted & comprehensive capacity
development packages.
• Local OWNERSHIP & participation by both
parties (“Win-Win”).
• Sharing of knowledge & best practices
between institutions – MUTUAL BENEFIT.
• More than development assistance and aid. Greater than
TA & exchanges.

9. HEd Partnership Models
• RUFORUM is one successful model mainly
fostering collaboration from-within (Africa-
Africa)
• SIDA-SAREC (Sweden-Africa); VLIR
(Belgium-Africa); NUFFIC (Netherlands-
Africa); NORAD (Norway-Africa)
• Tri-partite collaborations, such as US-
Africa-India [Tanzania, Kenya, Malawi..]
• HED: (US-Africa)

10. Higher Education for Development
(HED)
• HED Mission: supporting partnerships
between U.S. and host country higher
education institutions to address local and
national development challenges.
• Funded as a nonprofit by USAID/EGAT,
USAID Bilateral Missions, and the U.S.
State Department.

11. Host
U.S. Higher Country
Education Partnerships Forged Higher
Institution Education
Human and Institutional Institution
Capacity Developed

12. HED is supported through a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Agency for
International Development and the American Council on Education.
HED operates with the advice and counsel of six higher education presidential associations:
American Council on Education
American Association of Community Colleges
American Association of State Colleges and Universities
Association of American Universities
Association of Public and Land-grant Universities
National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
Reproduced with permission from the organizations

13. HED Partnerships
• HED has supported:
– More than 350 USAID funded partnerships in
more than 60 developing countries.
– More than 100 partnerships with African
institutions in 26 countries.
– In 2011, HED supported 75 partnerships in 81
host country HEIs in 35 countries and 58 U.S.
universities and colleges.

14. HED Partnerships: FY2006 – FY2010

15. Areas of Focus
• Agriculture;
• Business/Economics;
• Democracy & Governance; Public Policy & Journalism;
• Education;
• Environment and Natural Resource Management;
• Health;
• Information Technology;
• Global Food Security;
• Small Business Growth and Entrepreneurship;
• Women and Development;
• Workforce Development.

16. Tangible and Measurable Impact
• 502 examples of institutional strengthening at
host country higher education institutions.
• 11,266 host country individuals trained
(includes degree & non-degree programs).
• 769 U.S. government funded scholarships &
exchange programs.
• 49 examples of U.S. government assisted host
country policy development advising.

17. Illustrations of Successful HED Managed
Higher Education Partnerships

18. Makerere University / North Dakota State
University
• Joint regional MSc degree &
Graduate Certificate in International
Infectious Disease Management and
Biosecurity.
• Participate in outbreak
investigations of anthrax &
brucellosis in Uganda
• Collaborate in the emerging
pandemic threats program to
synergize activities in the region.
• Promote community empowerment through local
group participation.

19. Addis Ababa University / University of
Connecticut
• Building institutional capacity and
workforce expertise for sustainable
development and management of
Ethiopia’s water resources.
• Graduate-level academic programs, faculty development,
and undergraduate outreach activities.
o Developed master’s degree programs.
o Reviewed and developed courses and enrolled 24 master’s and 18
PhD students.
• Problem-solving: solutions to reduce effects of high
fluoride contents in drinking water for rural communities
in the Afar region in Ethiopia.

20. University of Cape Town / University of
Cincinnati
• Collaborating across borders to develop the research and
entrepreneurial capacity needed to electrify rural and
remote areas.
– Emerging low-cost, durable, highly portable solar power cell is at
the center of a new approach to solar energy production.
• Develop HU and KIE into new hubs and entrepreneurial
centers.
• Develop synergistic interactions with NGO’s targeting
installation of solar panels for communities.

21. University of Juba &Catholic University of
South Sudan / Virginia Tech University
• Restore higher education, research
and extension in South Sudan to
support development of sustainable
agricultural production systems.
• Produce high quality graduates in
agriculture to meet the unique
socioeconomic development
challenges of Southern Sudan
• Generate knowledge through relevant and quality
research.
• Create a quality university-based outreach program.

22. Bahir Dar University (Ethiopia) / Arizona
University
• Developed a master’s degree program
in Disaster Risk Science and
Sustainable Development at BDU.
– Thirteen students graduated from the
first cohort.
• In coordination with a private company
in Phoenix, developed an online
learning portal that faculty in Arizona
could use to communicate with students
in Ethiopia.
• Foundation for a Center of Excellence for Disaster
Risk Management for the Region.

23. National University of Rwanda / Michigan State
University & Texas A&M University
• Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through
Linkages (PEARL):
– contribute to rebuilding the capacity of agricultural institutions in
Rwanda,
– worked in areas including geranium oil, avocado oil, eucalyptus oil,
cassava flour and chili pepper production, and coffee.
• Trained 2,500+ Rwandan women and 3,800+ Rwandan
men in marketing, financial management, business
management, business-plan writing, and Internet
technology.
• As the Maraba coffee growers received fair trade
certification and began to grow shade-grown coffee, their
specialty coffee has become a model for the Rwandan coffee
industry which has been replicated countrywide.

24. Malawi Bunda College / Lincoln University
• Promoted increase in goat milk -
crossbreeding of local goats with
purebred strains from France and South
Africa.
• Nutritionists mixed goat milk with soy
supplements, and fed to a sample of
children at the local hospital
rehabilitation center for malnourished
and vulnerable children.
• Mortality rate of these children dropped considerably and
the children’s health improved.

25. Makerere University & Muhimbili University /
John Hopkins University, Tulane University &
George Washington University
• Improved academic programs & upgrade
skills of public health practitioners and
managers enabling them to lead and respond
to public health issues and disasters.
• 50faculty members have gained new
knowledge & leadership skills through short
courses in-country and abroad
• New master’s degree programs in Health
Service Research, Public Health Nutrition
were developed.
• Health researchers are now better able to produce data that informs
national policy decisions, and health leaders influence media reporting
on health issues and contribute to advocacy efforts.

26. University of Hargeisa / Eastern Mennonite
University
• Partners focused on providing methodology that
promotes peace and stability in Somaliland through the
involvement of traditional elders and modern best
practices in global conflict resolution.
• Established an Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies
(IPCS) and to strengthen the institution’s research
capacity in the midst of transition.
• Published the first volume of the journal, Somaliland
Journal of Peace and Development, the first of its kind by
a HEIs in Somalia.

27. HED partnerships
Senegal Université Gaston-Berger & The Development of Agronomy and Crop Production
Ohio State University Academic Programs, Research, and Need Based
Extension Programs for Sustainable Food
Production in Sahel
Kenya University of Nairobi & Colorado Centre for Sustainable Drylands: A University
State University Collaboration for Transforming Higher
Education in Africa at the University of Nairobi
Kenya Kenyatta University & Syracuse Building Capacity through Quality Teacher
University Preparation
Burkina International Institute for Water & Network of Centers of Excellence in Water and
Faso Environmental Engineering (2iE) & Environmental Science & Technology
Tuskegee University
Ghana University of Ghana & Brown Academic partnership to address HIV/AIDS in
University; The Miriam hospital Ghana
Liberia University of Liberia & Indiana Center for Excellence in Health and Life Sciences
University; University of Massachusetts;
Virginia Tech University
Malawi University of Malawi & Michigan Ecosystems Services: Linking Science to Action in
State University; Lincoln University Malawi and the Region

28. HED partnerships
Ngozi University (BUR) - South Agriculture Collège Universitaire Régional Education
Carolina State University de Bambey (SEN) - Fairfield
University
Tshwane University of Environment University of KwaZulu-Natal - Education
Technology (SAF) - University The Research Foundation of
of Florida the State University of New
York, University of Buffalo
University of Johannesburg - Economic Makerere University - The Environment
The William Davidson Institute Growth & Trade Research Foundation of State
at the University of Michigan University of New York,
University at Albany
Polytechnic of Namibia - Environment Uganda Martyrs University Democracy &
Namibia University of Science Islamic University in Uganda - Governance,
and Technology - University of Nkumba University - The Public Policy,
Botswana - Sokoine University Research Foundation of State Journalism
(TAN) - University of Florida University of New York,
University at Albany

29. Benefits of HED Partnerships
• Contribute to Human & Institutional Capacity
Development
• Address National/Regional Development
Challenges
– Responding to zoonoses diseases
– Improving food security and nutrition
– Solving water resource challenges
– Promoting entrepreneurship and market orientation
– Mitigating disaster risk

30. HED partnerships – Keys to Success
• Host country partners participation - human &
institutional capacity.
• Foster long lasting collaboration - mutual benefit
and relationships.
• Open, peer reviewed, competitive modality - best
HEIs collaborate.
• Genuine & committed international partner.
• Cost Effective mechanism to Problem-Solving.
• Spring Board for Leveraging Other Resources.

31. Get Connected with HED
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