Now in its fourth phase, Building Stronger Universities programme continues to build on a long-standing collaboration with Gulu University in Uganda and The State University of Zanzibar in Tanzania, and has welcomed a new partner: the University of Hargeisa in Somaliland.
To mark this new chapter, the 2025 annual meeting was held at the University of Hargeisa from 3-5 June. The annual meeting is a platform where the university partners share and learn about all the aspects of strengthening institutional capacity in a collaborative way. It is a platform where “we reflect on how we work together,” according to the participants.
In the course of the three days, the participants held participatory discussions, sharing new learning approaches as well as experiences on how to include more women in research.
As every partner brings something unique to the table, the Building Stronger University programme provides a space for joint learning between North and South, and also within the South.
In spite of being relatively young – founded only in 1998 and operational since 2000 – and new within the partnership, University of Hargeisa has already taken important steps. “The best kind of support is the kind that comes through education,” the President of the University of Hargeisa said during the opening ceremony, underlining how important an academic partnership like Building Stronger Universities is for the country.
Reflecting on Hargeisa University’s progress in its collaboration with the other universities, Khalid Ahmed, the coordinator at the University of Hargeisa, added: “We were growing naturally before, but now with Building Stronger Universities we are growing fast.” There is a sense of shared growth that some have captured in the metaphor, “like older and younger siblings growing stronger together”.
Khalid Ahmed, BSU IV Coordinator, University of Hargeisa & Dorte Holler Johansen, Danish Co-coordinator, University of Hargeisa
The approach of the University of Hargeisa towards the Building Stronger Universities programme is a university-wide approach where the university’s vision is strongly integrated into the programme objectives.
As Jonah Kiruja, BSU co-coordinator at the University of Hargeisa, explained, “When we talk about the BSU four (at Hargeisa University), there is one key area: policy revision and policy development. We revised the policies of our institutions and came up with clear guidelines to ensure growth.”
Michael Alifrangis, Danish coordinator at the University of Hargeisa, added that the progress is visible in numbers, “At the beginning, there were just four policies. Now we have more than fourteen, and Hargeisa has really taken the lead in pushing this forward.”
Dorte Holler Johansen, Danish co-coordinator at the University of Hargeisa, who has been part of the BSU programme for many years, noted that something feels different this time. “What we’re seeing at the University of Hargeisa is a true, university-wide commitment to Building Stronger Universities. There’s strong support from the management and BSU is really helping the university achieve its goals.”
It is for this reason that, as several participants put it, this is not just about ticking off boxes or finishing a project. “The journey of supporting and inspiring one another doesn’t stop – it stretches beyond the Building Stronger Universities framework itself,” said Jonah Kiruja. “This is not a project or a programme in the traditional sense, it’s a long-term system of partnership and collaboration.”
Jonah Kiruja, BSU IV Co-coordinator, University of Hargeisa & Michael Alifrangis, Danish Coordinator, University of Hargeisa
Geoffrey Taboo, deputy coordinator for BSU IV at Gulu University, has led the effort to reimagine teaching methods in Gulu in collaboration with Aalborg University. These efforts have been supported by the two-year project “PBL Hybrid” funded under BSU3 that has allowed Gulu University to focus on how to incorporate online and problem-based learning among teachers and students at Gulu University.
“We were inspired by Aalborg’s Problem-Based Learning (PBL) model, so we adopted PBL as part of our Building Stronger Universities approach. It helps bring the university closer to society, by moving us out of academia’s ivory tower” Geoffrey Taboo, Gulu University.
The More Women in Research Manifesto is a powerful call to action aimed at addressing the significant underrepresentation of women in academia and research at all levels, particularly in Africa. The manifesto was initially drafted by 50 women researchers primarily from across the African continent during the More Women in Research engagement seminar in March 2024, co-organised by Danida Fellowship Centre, MS TCDC and YouLead Africa.
Gulu University and the University of Hargeisa have already launched the manifesto in their own institutions and, as the Building Stronger Universities partnership serves as a platform for expanding shared commitments, the State University of Zanzibar has been inspired to do so, too.
“Being together within the Building Stronger Universities partnership enables us to learn lessons also on how to lift women in research, together,” noted Dr Agatha Alidri, Gulu University.
Case clinics are a tool for peer learning. A participant presents a challenge and others bring their perspectives to help solve it. This method worked especially well at this BSU annual meeting as universities often face similar issues.
“The case clinic was a good methodology as we had to share a challenge and discuss possible solutions together,” Dr Stella Laloyo, Gulu University.
Final remarks from the Vice-President of the University of Hargeisa
“The University of Hargeisa is the largest in Somaliland, and BSU has really impacted and supported our five-years strategic plan,” Fuad Abdi Obsiye, Vice-president, UoH.
