A generous grant of £60,000 has been awarded to St Mary's University College, Belfast, in partnership with the University of Zambia to assist in establishing academic as well as student-learning and business links. The award by the Department for Employment and Learning comes under the 'Education Partnerships in Africa (EPA)' grants programme which is managed by the British Council and has the intention of transferring knowledge for the enhancement of business education between Zambia and Northern Ireland.
The partnership between the University of Zambia and St Mary's University College has been ongoing since 2007, and was formalised by a Memorandum of Agreement in April 2009 between the Vice Chancellor of UNZA, Professor Stephen Simukanga, and the Principal of St Mary's, Professor Peter Finn. The arrangement to date has included study visits, field research and ongoing research between staff at each institution examining how the United Nations' Millennium Development Goals are affecting sub-Saharan Africa.
Minister for the Department for Employment and Learning, Sir Reg Empey congratulated the institution on their success stating:
"My Department recognizes the important contribution higher education can make to growth and development in sub-Saharan Africa; in particular increasing the capacity of the African higher education system. Through the provision of funding under the Education Partnership Africa Scheme in Northern Ireland my Department has awarded one of two grants to St. Mary's University College to help further develop their partnership work with the University of Zambia. I welcome the University College's continual commitment to their work in sub-Saharan Africa and I wish the project every success."At St Mary's there has also been ongoing links with organisations and businesses which are connected to the University in Zambia. These have included study visits by St Mary's staff and students to schools in the Lusaka area, staff participation in development and social economy projects, and work with Zambian small to medium sized enterprises. The Belfast College has been involved in a number of initiatives with both primary and secondary level educational institutions in Zambia and in recent years has been working with a Project Zambia community development group in the Mapepe area to encourage commercial activity in that region. The new project will enhance these existing connections.
Knowledge exchange on employability skills and entrepreneurialism is the core idea of the project. The core connection is between the Departments of Development and Economics at the University of Zambia, and the Departments of Human Development and Work Related Learning at St Mary's University College, Belfast. The project has the intention of responding to the challenge of educating students in Higher Education in Zambia and the university's business partners to actively participate in regional economic development and work related learning. Other partners in this project include Project Zambia, St Lawrence Centre, Kabwata Centre, the Zambian Micro Bankers Trust, the Zambia Chamber of Small and Medium Business Associations, and Mwachikoka Multi-purpose Cooperative.
Outcomes of this project will include the various participants becoming familiar with issues relevant to employability, the social economy and the business environment in Zambia; the institutional partners understanding the significant role students and university business links can play in generating economic opportunities; building on the current relationship that is ongoing between the two universities; and harnessing a knowledge transfer that will assist the Zambian academics, students and business partners in maximizing indigenous and international opportunities.
"This project has enabled St Mary's to extend its knowledge-base to an international context that it would otherwise not have had the opportunity to access. Working with academics and businesses in Zambia has proved to be productive on all sides, we now have direct links to economic development initiatives in sub-Saharan Africa and our colleagues in the University of Zambia have been able to draw on specialism from Northern Ireland."
Dr Gerard McCann, Country Co-ordinator, EPA Zambia-Northern Ireland Project, St Mary's University College, Belfast.
"To date we have been able to establish an economic development unit at UNZA, adapt modules, run seminars in business education, link businesses locally and internationally, and promote important developmental concepts such as micro-financing and the social economy. In a cultural sense also our visits to Belfast have given us an insight into the European university system and your colleagues from Northern Ireland have been able to see the best of African culture and business sense."
Mr Chrispin Matenga, Country Co-ordinator, EPA Zambia-Northern Ireland Project, University of Zambia, Lusaka.
For further information regarding this project please contact Dr Gerard McCann St Mary's University College, Tel: 02890 327678.