Fostering Responsible and Reciprocal Partnerships with African Institutions

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The first webinar in this breakfast series is titled “Fostering Responsible and Reciprocal Partnerships with African Institutions: A Focus on Ethics.” This event is designed for employees of N5T institutions, our African partner institutions, and other relevant stakeholders. The webinar will feature keynote presentations and moderated discussions with experts in ethical internationalization of Higher Education Institutions.

Organized and hosted by N5T’s Task Force Africa, this webinar marks the beginning of a series dedicated to enhancing Nordic collaboration with African partner institutions.

Speakers

Moderator

Ms. Louise Nolle, Senior Executive Officer, International Partnerships, DTU

Opening Talk

Prof. Stefan Östlund, Vice President for International Relations at KTH

Keynotes and Panel

Dr. Sylvie Mucyo, Rwanda Polytechnic, Rwanda

Prof. Francis J. Mulaa, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Panel Discussion

• Ms. Riina Subra, Senior Manager, Global Engagement, Aalto; Finland
• Prof. Nina Wormbs, KTH, Sweden Prof.
• Francis J. Mulaa, University of Nairobi, Kenya
• Dr. Sylvie Mucyo, Rwanda Polytechnic, Rwanda
• Assoc. Prof. Hilde Refstie, NTNU, Norway
• Dr. Annika Surmeier, UCT, South Africa

Background

So far, many Nordic and European universities have focused a lot of attention on security and the risks of collaborating with certain countries outside of Europe, especially due to a fear of industrial espionage and dual use of technology in countries that are not military allies.

At the same time, there is a significant shift in partner dynamics between African and Nordic/Western institutions: We are transitioning from traditional capacity-building partnerships in Africa to collaborative relationships built on mutual interests and benefits. These partnerships and knowledge networks are indispensable for addressing and developing research and education in our increasingly complex global world. A number of guidelines in Sweden and Finland have highlighted the importance of including ethics in this discussion and this is something that the taskforce would like to unfold during the webinar.

Recommended reading before the event

We encourage all participants to review the following documents to better prepare for the discussion:

1. The Stint report Rationale for internationalisation cooperation in an increasingly polarised world, including the special significance of Africa.  Click to view the Stint report (pdf 221 kB) .
2. Africa charter for Transformative Research Collaborations (by AAU ):  Africa Research Charter – AAU
3. Ethical guidelines for responsible academic partnerships with the Global South (helsinki.fi)

4. Neither Colony Nor Enclave: Calling for dialogical contextualism in management and organization studies - Ralph Hamann, John Luiz, Kutlwano Ramaboa, Farzad Khan, Xolisa Dhlamini, Warren Nilsson, 2020 (sagepub.com)

5. Inclusion and equitable partnerships  - dfcentre by DANIDA Fellowship Centre

About

Moderator

Louise Nolle

 at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) where she works with the development of strategic partnerships with universities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. She is in charge of DTU’s strategic collaboration with Kenya. Louise Nolle has previously worked with human rights, social development and partnerships at International Labour Organization in Bangladesh and Geneva. She holds a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology from University of Copenhagen and a Master’s degree in South Asian Studies from Lund University in Sweden.

Opening talk

Stefan Östlund

Stefan Östlund is Vice President for international relations at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm since 2017. In that role, his focus has been on international academic partnerships and responsible internationalization. Previously he has held several positions at KTH, including Dean of the School of Electrical Engineering. He is a professor of Electric Power Engineering and his teaching and research focus on electric propulsion, transportation electrification, and power electronics. He is a supervisory board member of EIT KIC InnoEnergy SE and a senior member of IEEE.

Keynote speakers

Francis Mulaa

Professor Francis Mulaa is the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation, and Enterprise at the University of Nairobi and the coordinator of AFTREC, a Pan-African network promoting digital transformation through workforce development and entrepreneurship. With a PhD in Biochemistry from Obafemi Awolowo University, he has pioneered molecular biology techniques in East Africa and secured significant grants, including the first EU malaria research grant in Kenya. Prof. Mulaa founded the Centre for Biotechnology and Bioinformatics (CEBIB) and has contributed to shaping Africa’s academic landscape through his work with the African Union and EU academia. A passionate advocate for biotechnology, he continues to mentor future scientists and innovate in molecular biotechnology, advancing Kenya’s education and research capabilities.

Sylvie Mucyo

Dr Sylvie Mucyo is the Vice-Chancellor of Rwanda Polytechnic, the largest and only public polytechnic in Rwanda consisting of 8 colleges and a student population of more than 10,000. Prior to the current position, Dr Mucyo has worked at the University of Rwanda with a diverse portfolio that includes lecturing and conducting research in the field of environmental sciences and waste management, serving as deputy dean in School of Agricultural Engineering. Dr. Mucyo was also the deputy coordinator and student manager of the University of Rwanda and Sweden Bilateral cooperation for Research, Higher Education and Institutional Advancement.

She got her BSc degree in Biology at National University of Rwanda in 2007 and her MSc degree in Environmental Biotechnology at Abertay University Scotland in 2009. Dr Mucyo holds a PhD in Applied Environmental Sciences/Solid Waste Management from Abertay where she graduated in 2013. Her expertise includes biowaste management and bio energy development, Environmental Management Systems/Technical and Human aspects of Environment management. She has got extensive experience in research and academic management and has more than 12 years in academic leadership.

Panelists

Riina Subra

Riina Subra is a Senior Manager at Aalto’s Global Engagement/ Leadership Support Services, and leads the Aalto Global Impact team, which develops Aalto’s education, research, innovation and capacity building partnerships with universities in the Global South. She coordinates EDUCase Platform, one of the MEC pilot networks for collaboration with African and Asian HEIs. Subra has over 20 years’ experience in international relations and diplomacy, global development policy and academic co-creation and innovation. She has worked at UNDP and Unesco headquarters and country offices, developed national and EU-level capacity-building projects connecting Aalto schools with HEIs in Africa, Asia and Latin America and served as PI for several global education development projects. Her work at Aalto has focused on developing both institutional level strategies and concrete activities to mainstream sustainable development and partnerships, and to deepen intercultural dialogue and global competencies of faculty and students in Finland and in partner countries. Riina was the initiator of UniPID’s report Ethical guidelines for responsible academic partnerships with the Global South and the chair of the working group.

Hilde Refstie

Hilde Refstie is Associate Professor at the Department of Geography at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Her research focuses on humanitarian response in conflicts and disasters and urban inequalities. She leads NTNU’s international interdisciplinary MSc in Globalization and Sustainable Development and has over a decade of experience with global research and educational collaborations. She is also part of the core working group of the Gemini Center Equitable Partnerships for Global Impact.

Nina Wormbs

Nina Wormbs is professor in history of technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. She has studied media history and digitalisation and is now focusing on climate change from the view-point of environmental humanities. She communicates research through the daily press and public service radio and collaborates with society as a member of steering committees and commissions. Wormbs has been responsible for Scholars at Risk at KTH since 2017 and takes an interest in responsible internationalisation, also from a sustainable perspective. She presently serves as elected vice dean of faculty where she among other tasks heads the Ethics committee. Nina represents ethical perspectives in the committee appointed to develop guidelines for responsible international at KTH

Annika Surmeier

Dr. Annika Surmeier is a Senior Lecturer and Academic Director of the CEMS Master in International Management (MIM) programme at University of Cape Town (UCT) GSB, South Africa. Her work analyzes how diverse actors, including non-profit organizations, local businesses, and multinational enterprises can address societal challenges and promote social innovation and sustainable development. She is currently leading a project on “African universities as agents of social innovation and sustainable development” that includes researchers from several universities in South Africa, Uganda, Ghana and the UK. Her previous experience includes academic roles at the Global Development Institute at the University of Manchester and leading the "Social Impact Lab" in Germany. Dr. Surmeier’s research across multiple African countries engages local actors, NGOs, and international organizations who promote just, inclusive, and sustainable practices in the global economy.