NDSU recently was awarded a $1.1 million grant by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Higher Education for Development for an innovative partnership with Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. Partnerships between universities in Africa and 11 U.S. institutions were recognized to address issues such as food security and agriculture, solar energy, health care, education and water in Africa.
NDSU and Makerere University are working on research involving global human and animal pandemic diseases that could jeopardize food security. At least 70 percent of the human and animal pathogens affecting global trade are found in sub-Saharan Africa, which gives researchers a rare opportunity to learn about zoonotic disease threats. The universities will develop a coordinated surveillance system and establish centers of excellence for effective solutions in assessment, communication and response to potential disease outbreaks.
“North Dakota is a major exporter of agricultural and related products. Assuring the safety of products is vital to the state’s customers around the world. This work provides us an opportunity to interact and work with potential emerging organisms early,” said D.C. Coston, vice president for agriculture and university extension. “Working with colleagues in Uganda, we have the opportunity to be prepared should those pathogens spread around the world and potentially end up in North Dakota. This research will allow North Dakota to have answers ready.”
The partnership idea was generated by Margaret Khaitsa, associate professor of veterinary and microbiological sciences and former lecturer and graduate of Makerere University. Originally, the universities offered students from NDSU and other U.S. universities a one-month summer experience in Uganda. Student feedback from the program led university administrators to research joint grants.
In 2008, NDSU received funding through the USDA to develop a joint master’s program, which is in the process of receiving approval. The grant also will fund five graduate student researchers.
According to Khaitsa, students benefit by learning from faculty who are researching real world health issues. “The original intention of this program was to broaden students’ experiences so that they gain the skills necessary to apply for careers internationally with agencies such as the World Health Organization or the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service,” said Khaitsa. “As a result of this program students have had a distinct advantage over other students applying to professional schools because of their global experience.”
The partnerships are part of the Africa-U.S. Higher Education Initiative, a collaboration among higher education associations and other organizations led by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU). Funding for each partnership is provided for two years and consists of a five-year strategic plan, including a 10-year vision to build human and institutional capacity development. More than 300 proposals for initial planning grants of $50,000 each were received by the Africa-U.S. Higher Education initiative with 33 proposals selected for funding. NDSU and Makerere received one of the 33 planning grants and one of the 11 grants selected from the 33 proposals.
Other lead U.S. institutions are Brown University, Colorado State University, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Syracuse University, The Ohio State University, Tuskegee University, University of Cincinnati, University of Connecticut and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
Other African institutions of the partnerships include Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, Catholic University of Sudan, International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering, Kenyatta University, University of Cape Town in South Africa, Université Gaston-Berger in Senegal, University of Ghana, University of Liberia, University of Malawi and University of Nairobi.