nairobi newsletter DAAD Regional Office for Africa - June 2013 AvH Ambassador Boga meets German President in Berlin On 6 th June, Kenyan Professor Hamadi Iddi Boga had the opportu- nity to meet the Ger- man President Joachim Gauck in Berlin. Scientists from all over the world had come to the German capital for an Alumni Conference of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) among them politicians, research- ers and Nobel Prize Winners. Prof. Boga is not just one of the DAAD Alumni but Principal of Taita Taveta Univer- sity College and Am- bassador of AvH as well. The microbiologist already obtained a DAAD scholarship for his Master’s at Ken- yatta University. Later, he proceeded to do his PhD at University of Konstanz from 1996 to 2000 with a DAAD PhD scholarship. Read the full story (German only) Editorial DAAD Regional Office for Africa P.O.Box 14050-00800 Nairobi, Kenya Director: Christoph Hansert Editor: Anja Bengelstorff Contact: +254 733 929 929 [email protected]http://nairobi.daad.de Kenya: African Cities of the Future: Governors, Kenyan DAAD Alumni and German ex- perts try to chart the way This year’s Kenya DAAD Scholars Associa- tion (KDSA) and DAAD Africa conference on May 30th and 31st interrogated how to plan and design “African Cities of the Future: Smart, Sustainable, Participatory.” The meet- ing brought together professionals from uni- versities, research institutions, parastatals and the civil society who included more than 160 KDSA members, among them senior university administrators and experts in the field especially from the University of Leipzig and the German Institute for Urban Develop- ment. The conference was honored by the presence of H.E. Margit Hellwig-Boette, Ger- man Ambassador to Kenya. The contribution of the Governors or their representatives of 10 Counties from all parts of Kenya greatly en- hanced the dialogue. The occasion was also very welcome to launch a year of celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the DAAD Regional Office for Africa. The First KDSA Chair and today’s VC of the Technical University of Kenya Prof. Dr.-Ing. Francis Aduol impressively looked back to four decades of col- laboration. The main topic of discussion was what County Governors need and what universities can offer to them and vice versa. It became very clear that in the current phase support in strategic and spatial planning for the Counties will be a key area of cooperation - and the training of the new staff of the county administration skills. To be continued on page 2 Salim Mvurya, Governor of Kwale, and Prof. Dr. Manfred Roeber, University of Leipzig, came together with DAAD and Ford Foundation Alumni and other local experts in Nairobi to look for ways to make African cities sustainable and inclusive.
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nairobi newsletter
DAAD Regional Office for Africa - June 2013
AvH Ambassador Boga meets German President in Berlin
On 6th June, Kenyan Professor Hamadi Iddi Boga had the opportu-nity to meet the Ger-man President Joachim Gauck in Berlin.
Scientists from all over the world had come to the German capital for an Alumni Conference of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (AvH) among them politicians, research-ers and Nobel Prize Winners.
Prof. Boga is not just one of the DAAD Alumni but Principal of Taita Taveta Univer-sity College and Am-bassador of AvH as well.
The microbiologist already obtained a DAAD scholarship for his Master’s at Ken-yatta University. Later, he proceeded to do his PhD at University of Konstanz from 1996 to 2000 with a DAAD PhD scholarship.
German and African universities for the support of new
study courses in the field of mining and sustainable
management of resources.
I hold a doctorate from the Technical University/Mining
Academy of Freiberg, Saxony, in business management
dealing with decision making in the field of raw materials.
The second PhD I earned at the Technical University
Dresden in Philosophy connected with French alterna-
tive economic concepts. I have nearly 100 scientific
publications to my name.
In Germany I started my academic career at the
University of Applied Sciences Mittweida in busi-
ness management, as assistant and then associate
professor. Later I joined the University of Technology
Karl-Marx-Stadt/Chemnitz and the University of
Applied Sciences Dresden (HTW). I served as a di-
rector of a research institute in Chemnitz, a pro-dean
and headmaster of the rector’s office. I am also experi-
enced in academic and scientific project management
and I took part in practical development of new univer-
sities. These experiences I want to use at the TTUC in
Voi.
In Kenya, I want to develop courses in resource man-
agement as a new field of study and also as a compo-
nent of the new discipline of mining in Voi. I always
wonder: Why not work more interdisciplinary with
other university colleagues? Therefore, I met col-
leagues in Freiberg, Dresden and Zittau/Görlitz who
are willing to collaborate with African university col-
leges, especially with TTUC. I started with development
of practice oriented projects of Master students in
tourism, SME's in agriculture and other branches.
Prof. Dr. Volkmar Kreissig came to Kenya
to promote interdisciplinary work between
universities here and in Germany
Ethiopia: Pilot workshop to mentor outstanding female students
Only 10% of the DAAD scholarship applications in Ethiopia
are coming from women. One reason might be a low self es-
teem and perceived quality of their intended PhD proposal.
After last year’s pre-selection DAAD Regional Office Director
Christoph Hansert discussed this exceptional situation with
DAAD Alumni in Ethiopia. It was resolved that special mentor-
ing workshop for women should be organised to tackle this.
Thus, on May 7th 2013 the new DAAD Information Centre
Ethiopa and top Ethiopian DAAD Alumni organised a one
day workshop for outstanding female students at Addis Ababa
University .
The workshop aimed at enabling young women to write a sci-
entific research proposal and apply for a DAAD scholarship.
There is a need for encouraging young females and besides
scientific issues also train them on how to be assertive in de-
fending their intended proposal. Subsequent to the workshop
the Vice Director of DAAD Addis Ababa Dr Jana Zehle, Prof. Yalemtsehay Mekonnen (Addis Ababa University), Dr.
Guday Emirie (College of Social Sciences, Addis Ababa University) and Dr. Sewalem Tsega (OSSRES) have contin-
ued to mentor participants individually.
About 30 women discussed the essential contents a good PhD proposal is
made of
page 8
newsletter June 2013
Tanzania: International Conference on Constitutional Reforms
On 24 May 2013, constitutional law experts from Tanzania and Kenya came together in Dar es Salaam for a knowledge
exchange on constitutional reform processes. The conference was hosted by the DAAD-funded Tanzanian-German
Centre for Eastern African Legal Studies (TGCL) in cooperation with Africa wide Rule of Law Programme the German
Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS). TGCL Project Leader
Professor Ulrike Wanitzek of University of Bayreuth and KAS
Programme Officer Richard Shaba opened the conference, both
highlighting that a successful constitution-making process re-
quires the consideration of the people’s views. In his welcome
remarks, the German Ambassador to Tanzania, H. E. Klaus-
Peter Brandes, underscored the importance of a constitution as
the bedrock of democracy.
The keynote speech on “The Independence of the National Elec-
toral Commission of Tanzania (NEC) as an oversight Constitu-
tional Organ” was delivered by Hon. Justice Damian Lubuva,
Chairperson of the Tanzanian NEC. He emphasised the deci-
sive role of structural and functional independence of the NEC for
the electoral process. Commenting on the keynote speech, Professor Gamaniel Mgongo Fimbo (University Dar es Sa-
laam) criticised that NEC Commissioners are being appointed by the President who also acts as the chairman of a politi-
cal party. Insights from the constitutional reform process in Kenya were presented by Catherine Mumma, Commissioner
of the Kenyan Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution.
Presentations and contributions to the discussions were given by certain scientists and politicians who were or still are part of the recent constitutional development in
Eastern Africa - Foto: TGCL
Over 150 local and German experts took part in the conference on constitu-
tional progresses in Tanzania and Kenya - Foto: TGCL