Short courses at partner universities

Egerton University, Kenya

Egerton University (EGU) is the oldest institution of higher learning in Kenya. It was founded as an agricultural school for British ex-service men in 1939. In 1986, Egerton Agricultural College was gazetted as a constituent college of the University of Nairobi. The following year, 1987, marked the establishment of Egerton University through an Act of Parliament.

Today, Egerton University with its mission to generate knowledge and offer exemplary education and training to society for national and global development has two campuses: Main Campus in Njoro and Nakuru Town Campus College. There are fifty-one academic departments offering a wide range of programmes at the diploma, undergraduate, and postgraduate levels. The University also offers courses in computer literacy, computer repairs and maintenance, and accounting and bridging courses.

Currently, 25,000 students are enrolled in various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. EGU has the capacity to carry-out research to address freshwater issues, as more than 30 staff members have been trained in aquatic sciences in Austria, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany and USA. EGU’s international partnerships provide synergy effects and networking platforms for Eastern African universities, other stakeholders and the larger society.

The short courses are coordinated by the Department of Biological Sciences, which is implementing international joint activities in aquatic sciences for more than 30 years, as well as hosting the LWM programme since 2012 and the AEEM programme since 2019.

Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa University (AAU), which was established in 1950 as the University College of Addis Ababa (UCAA), is the oldest and the largest higher learning and research institution in Ethiopia. Since its inception, the University has been the leading center in teaching-learning, research and community services. Beginning with enrollment capacity of 33 students in 1950, AAU now has around 50,000 students and almost 9,000 staff. In its 14 campuses, the University runs 70 undergraduate and 293 graduate programs, and various specializations in Health Sciences.

in recent years, the University has been undertaking various reform schemes in order to cope with and respond to the fast-changing national and international educational dynamics. At present the University has 10 colleges, 4 institutes that run both teaching and research, and 6 research institutes that predominantly conduct research. Within these academic units, there are 55 departments, 12 centers, 12 schools, and 2 teaching hospitals.

The Department of Zoological Sciences, which has a long tradition and excellent expertise in aquatic sciences, is the overall coordinating institution of the joint MSc programme in “Aquatic Ecosystems & Environmental Management (AEEM)” since 2013.

Addis Ababa University’s mission is to produce competent graduates, provide need-based community service and produce problem-solving research outputs through innovative and creative education, research and consultancy service to foster social and economic development of the country.

Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia

Bahir Dar University (BDU) was established in 2000 by merging two former institutions of Higher Education - namely Bahir Dar Polytechnic and Bahir Dar Teachers’ College. BDU is nowadays among the largest universities in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, with more than 50,000 students in its 219 academic programs. The BDU strategy aims to create knowledge packages and deliverables for 6 major applications, one of those on the sustainable management of Lake Tana and its watershed. Bahir Dar University aspires to be one of the leading Research-Intensive Universities in Africa as well as to be center of excellence in agricultural and environmental training and research in Africa.

Bahir Dar University is implementing the BDU semester of the AEEM programme since 2013. The BDU semester of the joint MSc programme in “Aquatic Ecosystems & Environmental Management (AEEM)” is jointly coordinated by the Department of Biology and the Blue Nile Water Institute (BNWI). Staff members of BNWI, College of Agriculture and Environmental Science and the College of Science contribute within the AEEM programme.