Ethiopian delegation on study tour in Holland
A delegation of presidents, vice-presidents and project coordinators of eight Ethiopian universities visited the Netherlands on a study tour in November 2011. The visit was part of a NICHE project supporting the development of commercial agriculture programmes at Ethiopian universities.
The study tour brought the Ethiopian universities in contact with Dutch and Belgian knowledge institutes. It allowed them to exchange and learn from experiences with student-centred education, curriculum development and quality control, university interaction with the private sector and the ‘entrepreneurial university’.
Synergy and added value
The tour is a good example of synergy and added value between different projects. Some visiting universities are partners in the Collaboration on Science for Impact Programme, a Dutch Embassy project. Others are involved in the NICHE project, which is also part of the Embassy’s agricultural development programme in Ethiopia.
Visit to Wageningen UR
During a visit to Wageningen, the Ethiopian delegation members briefed their colleagues on their NICHE project. In turn, the university presented its Africa strategy and the ‘Collaboration on Science for Impact’ programme between Ethiopia and WUR.
Looking beyond project consortia
Project partner Q-Point, a private consultancy agency, and WUR decided to join efforts and to pay for the participation of their own Ethiopian partners. Q-Point facilitated and coordinated the visit and WUR, which does not belong to the NICHE project consortium, provided technical and academic inputs.
The collaboration made it possible to bring together a broad spectrum of experiences and backgrounds. Finally, this joint activity has initiated contacts between a large community of academic partners beyond the established project consortia.
Linking knowledge
The delegation included representatives of the following Ethiopian universities:
- Haramaya
- Jimma
- Mekelle
- Adama
- Hawassa
- Bahir Dar
- Ambo
- Samara
On the Dutch and Belgian side, Radboud University, Ghent University, Wageningen UR, INHolland and the Aeres Group participated. Furthermore, contacts were established with different private sector companies (De Heus, Grodan, FloraHolland, MPS and others).