How sustained North-South university partnerships pay off
06-03-25
The Building Stronger Universities programme was launched in 2011 to foster research capacity development by facilitating long-term partnerships between universities in the Global North and South. Now, a decade later, when the programme has entered its fourth phase, it is clear that, despite challenges and adjustments along the way, sustained university partnerships pay off.
By Julie Bune
Ever since the Building Stronger Universities (BSU) programme was launched, partnerships have been at the heart of the programme. The programme has allowed each partner university to contribute with its unique expertise and in turn benefit from what others bring to the table. Over the years, these collaborations have brought about tangible change, not only in terms of individual development through education and training but also in the enhancement of university systems, teaching methodologies, research environments and the societal impact of the research.
Here we will focus on some of the substantial achievements reached through long-term partnerships, giving concrete examples of how the Building Stronger Universities programme can contribute to solving key societal challenges.
One of the most crucial aspects of the BSU programme is its focus on PhD education as it strengthens research capacity in the participating global South universities through joint North-South supervision, training and research. This collaboration brings the distinct expertise of each partner university into play. A prime example of this is the University of Ghana where participation in BSU 1-3 led to the graduation of 16 PhD students. These graduates benefited from expertise in malaria research at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Ghana as well as climate change research at Aarhus University. The students, who are all now faculty members at the University of Ghana, spent three to six months in Denmark on study stays, enriching their academic and professional development.
Cecilia Smith, one such PhD graduate, was inspired to pursue research to improve the diagnosis of children suffering from endemic Burkitt lymphoma, a widespread form of cancer among children that is linked to malaria. Her work was the result of close collaboration with the malaria experts, Professor Lars Hviid in Denmark and Professor Michael Ofori at the University of Ghana.
Another crucial aspect of the long-term university partnerships fostered by the BSU collaboration is the strong research foundation they have established.
Director of the Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies at the University of Ghana, Professor Kwadwo Owusu, stresses the importance of partnerships in creating a robust foundation for research. PhD students have a big role to play in this: “Through its targeted thematic focus, training initiatives and collaborative research, BSU has demonstrated the profound impact that North-South strategic partnerships can have in addressing global challenges and nurturing the next generation of scholars and leaders.”
Educating staff at postgraduate level provides them with benefits at the individual level but, more importantly, when they become faculty members and hold positions such as professorships, heads of faculty and so forth, they strengthen the long-term research capacity of the university.
Another notable example of the BSU programme’s long-term impact is the development of a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Health at the State University of Zanzibar, (SUZA), in 2013. This initiative, launched in partnership with the University of Copenhagen, has seen 363 students graduate, contributing significantly to Tanzania’s environmental health workforce. SUZA has since played a key role in addressing pressing environmental health issues such as water and marine pollution, disease prevention and waste management. The programme’s success has highlighted the need for further education in this area, prompting the development of a Master’s degree in Environmental Health, which is currently in its final stages of preparation.
Student-centred learning focuses on creating an environment where students take responsibility for their learning by actively engaging with the material and collaborating with peers. Unlike traditional methods, it tailors education to the students’ needs, making the curriculum more relevant and impactful. It may also emphasise the development of real-world applications, making the students see the practical value of what they learn in terms of career advantages and future job possibilities. BSU’s long-term collaborations have helped integrate these methods at the Southern BSU universities, creating a more dynamic and engaging experience for both the students and their professors.
Another important lesson from the BSU programme is that partnerships are not always easy and it takes a continuous effort to overcome the many challenges that arise along the way.
Challenges in partnerships can be as concrete as having to find common ways of communicating long distance through shared platforms in the face of challenges as few physical meetings and bad internet connection.
Other challenges may be related to power imbalances, differing interests and ownership. The transition from BSU1 to BSU2, where the programme became South-led, was a change that the partnerships had to find ways to deal with.
Agatha Alidri, BSU4 project lead at Gulu University, argues that a key lesson arising from the beginning of BSU is that for the programme to succeed in meeting the needs of South universities it should be South-led. For her, this entails continuous work to establish positive power relations in order to improve collaboration and pave the way for the partners to reach the outcomes of the project together.
“We intend to minimise unequal power relations between south-north and north-north partnerships by democratising the programme and its activities. Our focus is now the uniqueness of each partner and how this can be used to bolster collaboration as well as Gulu University’s institutional research capacity,” she says.
In 2023, the BSU programme entered its fourth phase with three universities from the Global South: the State University of Zanzibar (SUZA), Gulu University and the University of Hargeisa. SUZA and Gulu University are continuing decade-long partnerships with their Danish counterparts, while the University of Hargeisa is forging new collaborations with the University of Copenhagen, Roskilde University and the University of Southern Denmark.
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