Prof Nzula Kitaka is playing a crucial role as the university coordinator in the recently launched Nile Student Exchange Project, which aims to contribute to sustainable transboundary water governance and management in the Nile Basin. The project, launched by the Nile Basin Capacity Building Network Foundation (NBCBN) in Egypt in partnership with IHE Delft in the Netherlands, targets ten students per year from universities in Kenya, Egypt, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Sudan, and Burundi.
The selected students will be hosted by one of the fourteen universities (Egerton being one of them) and will receive funding based on actual costs, with a maximum of 6,590 euros per student, which includes airfare, a fellowship for three months, and research funds during the exchange. The project seeks to strengthen networks of water academics in the Nile Basin through student exchange, build research collaboration between universities in the Nile Basin, and foster transboundary scientific networks. Prof Kitaka emphasized that the project would help address the challenges facing water governance in the Nile Basin, such as the competing demands for water resources, environmental degradation, and the effects of climate change. "Involving students in research and capacity building is a crucial step towards achieving sustainable water governance in the Nile Basin," she said. It also targets to give an opportunity to master students who have never travelled out of their country.
In the project's first phase, four students from Egerton University have been selected for the exchange, with two students to be hosted by the University of Rwanda, one by Makerere University, and one by Ain Shams University in Cairo. The students will undertake their three-month exchange between May to September 2023. The project's potential research topics include ecosystem services, climate change and socio-economic development, nature-based mitigation and adaptation measures, the role of gender in risk management, surface water quality, ground and surface water interaction, governance analysis of irrigation schemes, and institutional analyses.
Prof Nzula Kitaka's role in the Nile Student Exchange Project is significant as it provides opportunities for students to exchange knowledge and research findings across the Nile Basin. Through the project, students will receive funding to undertake research on various water-related topics, including ecosystem services, climate change, and socio-economic development, among others.
Written by: Kurian Musa
Communications Officer
Directorate of Marketing and Resource Mobilization
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