Higher education cooperation between France and Tanzania is expanding

Having been limited for a long time to linguistic aspects, higher education cooperation between France and Tanzania has expanded since 2019 to include others disciplines, particularly in scientific fields. Institutional partnerships between the two countries allow now institutions to carry out joint actions encouraging student and faculty mobility, joint research, thesis co-supervision, double degrees and support for learning French.

In 2019, the first Tanzania-France Higher Education Fair was held in Dar to bring together university officials and discuss potential avenues for cooperation to stimulate academic mobility, joint research projects and knowledge sharing. The second Tanzania-France Higher Education Fair will be organized beginning of 2022.

Many French institutions have since expressed their interest or visited Tanzania to establish relationships and build partnerships. These include : Business and Engineer schools in Paris, Universities of Bordeaux, Aix Marseille and Grenoble.

Together, Tanzanian and French researchers works on the health effects of pesticides

To give concrete example of such cooperation between Tanzanian and French Universities, this year the French Embassy has been supporting an innovative program of research dedicated to the health effects of pesticides in Tanzania and more globally in Africa. The objective is to document the negative impacts of pesticides on human health to better inform and advise the Tanzanian government. This field of research has gained momentum in Africa over recent years with the increase of use of pesticides in the conventional agriculture. “Potentially hazardous chemicals used widely to combat pests and secure agricultural production carry significant risks to human health and the environment. Researching the extent of harm is important to inform policy and interventions” said Dr Vera NGOWI, the Principal Investigator and Coordinator of the program.

The program involves centers of research from various countries as Ivory Coast, Burkina-Faso, France, Germany, Norway and the United States. More than 30 researchers are committed in this interdisciplinary program, which could well be a first step towards long-term international scientific cooperation on pesticide-related health effects.

Workers spraying pesticides in Arusha. “The detrimental health effects of pesticide use are a major public health concern in Tanzania, but documenting these effects is scientifically very tricky. Tanzania is one of the few African countries in which a handful of dedicated scientists have continuously produced high-quality research on this issue. It is a pleasure and a privilege to work with them” says Dr. Moritz HUNSMANN (CNRS, French research center).