The 2nd Annual Eastern Africa Centre Symposium

Dates / times / locations

• Tuesday 11 March 2025, 9.30 am - 5.00 pm at Dryden Enterprise Centre, Nottingham Trent University, City Campus
• Wednesday 12 March 2025, 9.30 am - 5.00 pm at Dryden Enterprise Centre, Nottingham Trent University, City Campus
• Wednesday 12 March 2025, 5.00 - 7.00 pm at Directorate Courtroom, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham Trent University, City Campus

A two-day celebration of the Eastern Africa Centre (EAC), showcasing our academic and student research, partnerships, and networks across the Eastern Africa region and beyond.

Discover how our research fosters equitable and sustainable partnerships with a transdisciplinary focus across the three NTU research themes: Digital, Technology and Creative, Health Innovation, and Safety and Sustainability.

Event structure:

• Tuesday 11 March, 9.30 am - 5.00 pm
  • A series of participatory workshops and a networking opportunity in conjunction with the NTU Africa and Middle East Network at Dryden Enterprise Centre, Nottingham Trent University, City Campus.
• Wednesday 12 March, 9.30 am - 5.00 pm
  • Speakers and panel discussions at Dryden Enterprise Centre, Nottingham Trent University, City Campus.
• Wednesday 12 March, 5.00 - 7.00 pm
  • EAC Networking Event at Directorate Courtroom, 50 Shakespeare Street, Nottingham Trent University, City Campus.

Registration:

This event is fully booked.

Contact us:

For enquiries please email eac@ntu.ac.uk or jonathan.conway@ntu.ac.uk.

Schedule

Day One: Tuesday 11 March 9.30 am - 5.00 pm

Venue: Dryden Enterprise Centre, Nottingham Trent University, City Campus

9.30 am: Welcome Arrival and Refreshments

9.50 am: Eitai – A Documentary Film Exploring Community, Togetherness and Change in Rural Uganda. (Screening and Panel Discussion).

Press Release - February 2025: Powerful new film from NTU Alumni to be screened at the NTU Eastern Africa Centre Annual Symposium

Join us for a screening and panel discussion of Eitai, a documentary that explores the challenges and innovative solutions of rural community members in North-Eastern Uganda.

Filmed in Teso, Uganda, this 60-minute documentary captures the resilience of a community facing climate challenges, poverty, and gender-based violence. It explores how social enterprises may provide economic stability, safe spaces, and environmental solutions through tree planting, music, drama, and dance.

‘Eitai’—an Ateso word for "community togetherness" - was co-produced with celebrated Masai filmmaker Sonyanga Ole Ngais (an NTU graduate) and based on doctoral research by Dr Sally Bashford-Squires, an NTU PhD graduate.

The film and panel discussion will celebrate the resourcefulness of communities in Teso and serve as a platform for international knowledge exchange. The diverse panel, including colleagues from Teso, will aim to amplify majority-world perspectives on global challenges and foster dialogue across cultures.

Panel Chair:

• Mr Jonathan Conway, Eastern Africa Centre Coordinator, NTU

Panellists:

• Ms Christine Aruo, Counsellor at The Aids Support Organisation (TASO) Soroti branch
• Dr Sally Bashford-Squires, Teaching Fellow in Human Sciences, University of Greenwich, NTU PhD Graduate
• Professor Linda Gibson, Professor of Global Public Health, School of Social Sciences, NTU
• Sonyanga Ole Ngais, Filmmaker and Graduate of MA Media and Globalisation, NTU
• Dr Mathew Nyashanu, Senior Lecturer, School of Social Sciences, NTU

12.30 pm: Catered Lunch

1.30 - 5.00 pm: The Eastern Africa Centre & Africa Middle East Network:  Research, Funding Opportunities, and Networking Workshop

Join us for a joint session organised by the NTU Eastern Africa Centre and the Africa Middle East Network. This event will be an engaging afternoon to learn more about research and funding opportunities, followed by a networking session.

Funding Opportunities Workshop

Explore funding opportunities applicable for research in Africa and the Middle East. Advice and guidance on relevant funding opportunities, including discussions on the application process, and how to address common application questions on ethics, safeguarding, and other issues faced during the application process for UK and EU funding applications. Led by UK and EU funding experts:

• Dr Nathaniel Golden, Research and Partnership Development Manager, NTU
• Mr Ioannis Vermpis, Head of EU Research Funding, NTU

Research ‘Lightning Talks’

A showcase of 5-minute research talks from academics and student researchers from across NTU and our collaborating institutions, on a range of different subjects, focussed on Africa and the Middle East.

• Networking and afternoon refreshments

Day Two: Wednesday 12th March 9.30 am - 5.00 pm

Venue: Dryden Enterprise Centre (DEC), NTU City Campus

9.30 am: Welcome Arrival and Refreshments

9.50 am: Opening Remarks

A welcome to the second day of the 2^nd Annual EAC Symposium.

Opening remarks from:

• Prof. Edward Peck, NTU Vice-Chancellor and President
• Prof. Richard Emes, Pro Vice-Chancellor Research & International
• Prof. Mazeda Hossain, Professor of Global Health and Director of the Eastern Africa Centre

10.30 am: Keynote Speakers:

• His Excellency Johnston Busingye, High Commissioner of Rwanda to the United Kingdom – ‘Africa We Want: The Role of Transformative Leadership’.
• Bitange Ndemo, Kenya’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium and the European Union – ‘Emerging Technologies and Entrepreneurial Development’.

11.00 am: Panel 1: Transformative Leadership and Innovation in Africa: Challenges, Opportunities and future direction

Panel 1 will explore the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation, and educational leadership in addressing the challenges faced in Africa. This session will emphasise empowerment through comprehensive and innovative approaches, including ones that work with marginalised groups while considering the broader context of conflict and crisis settings.

Panel Chair:

• Dr Jonathan Gorry, Head of Department for the Department of Social and Political Sciences, NTU

Panellists include:

• Winnie Atemba, Founder & Executive Director, At The Heart of a Woman, Kenya
• Dr Cleveland Barnett, Department of Sport Science, School of Science and Technology, NTU
• Professor Mazeda Hossain, Professor of Global Health and Director of the Eastern Africa Centre, NTU
• Professor Angus Hunter, Department of Sport Science, School of Science and Technology, NTU
• Dr Lesley Masters, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Diplomacy, School of Social Sciences, NTU
• Dorcas Nimo, Communications Manager, At The Heart of a Woman, Kenya
• Angela Robson, Senior Lecturer in Broadcast Journalism, NTU
• Prof. Dr Amon Simba, Director of the African Innovation and Entrepreneurship (AfrIE) Research Hub and Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Nottingham Business School, NTU
• Dr Abdishakur Tarah, Senior Lecturer, Nottingham Institute of Education, NTU

12.30 pm: Catered Lunch

1.30 pm: Panel 2: Sustainable management of African working landscapes: challenges and opportunities for technological advances

Panel 2 will showcase the research agenda implemented by the ARES team in Kenya, where a diverse range of approaches have been implemented, from landscape monitoring to ecosystem restoration and soil management.

This session will explore the incorporation of new ecological monitoring methods using advanced technologies, such as eco-acoustics. It will also highlight how this dynamic and innovative team plans to integrate remote sensing, robotic automation, and artificial intelligence, among other new technological approaches, into their research.

Panel Chair:

• Prof. Andy Gill, Associate Dean for Research at the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences (ARES), NTU

Panellists include:

• Dr Marcello Di Bonito, Associate Professor of Environmental and Soil Sciences, School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences (ARES), NTU
• Ms Consolata Gitau, NTU EAC Postgraduate Researcher - Fully Funded PhD at Distance Studentship, based in Kenya. 'EAC PhD at Distance Studentship'.
• Dr Felipe Melo, Associate Professor in Ecological Restoration, School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences (ARES), NTU
• Mr Alex Nduah, NTU EAC Postgraduate Researcher - Fully Funded PhD at Distance Studentship, based in Kenya. 'EAC PhD at Distance Studentship'.

2.40 pm: Afternoon Refreshments

3.00 pm: Panel 3: Lessons from Building International Academic Partnerships

Panel 3 will explore the development and impact of international academic partnerships in Africa. The session will highlight strategies for equitable knowledge exchange, capacity building, the integration of global research priorities, and future directions for these partnerships. This diverse panel will provide valuable insights into the complexities and benefits of international academic partnerships in Africa, showcasing the EAC’s commitment to global engagement and sustainable development.

Panel Chair:

• Prof. Neil Mansfield, Executive Dean – Research and International Reputation, NTU

Panellists include:

• Prof. Linda Gibson, Professor Public Global Health, NTU and UK Lead NTU-MAK Partnership
• Mr Richard Holder, Head of Global Health Partnerships, Nottingham University Hospital (NUS)
• Ms Grace Biyinzika Lubega, PhD Student, NTU
• Dr David Musoke, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Disease Control and Environmental Health at Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH), Kampala, Uganda and Uganda lead NTU-MAK Partnership
• Dr Clare Newstead, Associate Director, NTU Global
• Dr Chris Rolph, Associate Professor of Education Policy and Practice, and the Director of Nottingham Institute of Education (NIE), NTU
• Prof. Dr Amon Simba, Director of the AfrIE Research Hub and Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Nottingham Business School (NBS), NTU
• Professor Tholene Sodi, Registered Clinical Psychologist, currently employed as a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Limpopo (South Africa)
• Mr Allan Ssembuusi, Early-Career Researcher, Makerere University School of Public Health, Uganda
• Dr Jodie Winter, Principal Lecturer Microbiology, NTU

4.45 pm: Closing Remarks

• Prof. Mazeda Hossain, Professor of Global Health and Director of the Eastern Africa Centre, NTU
• Prof. Neil Mansfield, Executive Dean – Research and International Reputation, NTU

5.00 - 7.00 pm: EAC Networking Reception: 'Continue the Conversations'

Location: Directorate Courtroom, 50 Shakespeare Street, NTU City Campus

Join us for an informal networking event to continue the discussions, share your experiences, and explore potential future collaborations.

• Informal networking and refreshments
• Celebration of EAC research, partnerships, and networks
• Opportunity to connect with speakers and attendees
• Reflections on the Symposium
• Explore future collaboration possibilities