A groundbreaking initiative aimed at enhancing the quality and sustainability of education within the East African Community (EAC) has successfully trained and graduated 150 educational staff from 100 universities under the Incubation Leadership and Digital Skills Training program. This milestone underscores the region’s commitment to fostering academic excellence, innovation, and collaboration between universities and industry.
A Collaborative Effort for Academic and Economic Growth
Organized by the EAC in collaboration with the German government, the program was implemented by the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) in partnership with the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). The initiative was designed to empower universities to drive academia-industry collaboration, positioning them as key catalysts for regional economic growth.
Following its inception in June 2024, the program was shaped by a comprehensive Training Needs Assessment, which identified significant gaps in innovation management across East African universities. The findings revealed that 65% of institutions required enhanced innovation infrastructure, while 60% sought structured capacity-building programs in technology transfer and intellectual property management.
To address these challenges, the training focused on incubation leadership, academia-industry collaboration, and strengthening innovation ecosystems, engaging universities and stakeholders from EAC Partner States, namely Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
A Strong Network of Regional and International Partners
The initiative was further supported by Entrepreneur Support Organizations (ESOs) from East Africa and Germany, including the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), SA Innovation Summit, E4Impact Foundation, StartHub Africa, Koneta Hub, Centre d'innovation de Lubumbashi (CINOLU), ACLIS, and Technische Universität (TU) Berlin. These partners provided a world-class curriculum, masterclasses, and deep dives into scaling innovation and start-up support within universities.
Speaking on behalf of the Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) Executive Secretary, Dr. Salome Guchu, the Principal Innovation and Research Officer, highlighted the significance of the initiative.
"This program demonstrates the commitment of EAC Partner States to building a network of innovation leaders and advancing technology transfer across the region for sustainable development," she said.
Echoing her sentiments, Dr. Dorcas Omukhulu, the EAC Principal Education Officer, recognized the impact of GIZ’s support.
"We appreciate GIZ’s efforts through the dSkills@EA project in skilling trainers, teachers, and students across East Africa, including Somalia. The project has transformed digital capacities and regional integration. As we set to launch the AI Alliance, it will build on these gains," she stated.
Equipping Universities for Innovation and Research Commercialization
Over the four-month period, 129 university hub managers, research and development officers, and technology transfer officers from more than 91 universities in East Africa were equipped with skills in innovation management and research commercialization. The training provided strategic frameworks for managing innovation processes, protecting academic innovations, translating research into market-ready solutions, and fostering supportive environments for start-ups and spin-offs.
The impact of the program has been substantial, with 93.6% of participants stating that the training met or exceeded their expectations. Additionally, 85% have since integrated innovation management principles into their institutional curricula.
In Uganda, the program played a pivotal role in the formation of the Consortium of University Hubs network, enabling over 10 universities to formalize innovation partnerships and co-develop research commercialization strategies.
One of the participants, Mr. Edison Kagona, Manager for the Center of Innovation at Cavendish University in Uganda, praised the program for its role in fostering university collaboration.
"The program highlighted the importance of universities uniting and collaborating through strategic partnerships in research commercialization to achieve a lasting transformation of the community," he said.
Expanding Digital Skills Training to Somalia
The initiative also marked the graduation of 22 university staff from Somalia, who successfully completed a digital skills training program designed to equip educators with essential digital tools for enhancing higher education delivery. This milestone adds to the program’s earlier success in training 107 participants from 37 universities across the EAC Partner States, bringing the total number of beneficiaries to 4,000.
The training in Somalia was conducted in collaboration with SIMAD University, reinforcing regional efforts to strengthen digital competencies in higher education.
Mr. Abdiwahab Isak, Director of International Cooperation at SIMAD University, expressed his appreciation for the initiative.
"We are grateful to all partners of the dSkills@EA project for making this a reality and onboarding Somalia to the program," he stated.
A Vision for the Future
Reflecting on the broader impact of the initiative, Mr. David Roos, dSkills@EA Project Director, emphasized the program’s long-term goals.
"We are not just training individuals—we are cultivating an ecosystem that fosters innovation and drives economic development," he said.
"Building on this success, as recorded in the dSkills@EA project, IUCEA and GIZ will continue engaging universities through advanced digital skills, AI research, and innovation through regional collaboration platforms," he added.
With increasing momentum, this initiative is set to further strengthen the role of universities in driving innovation and digital transformation across the EAC region. By enhancing their capacities in research commercialization and technology transfer, universities will continue to play a pivotal role in economic and technological advancement within East Africa and beyond.
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