In December of 2020, we recieved the Christmas gift in the form of a 20 million Norwegian Kroners for a 6-year NORHED II project. Santa Claus was NORAD through its NORHED program. Our new project was to prepare media practitioners for a resilient media in Eastern Africa. The project’s main beneficiaries include establishing a new MA program in Rwanda (School of Journalism and Communciation, University of Rwanda) and consolidating the MA program but also starting a Phd program in Uganda (School of Journalism, Media and Communication, Uganda Christian University). NLA University Colege with its friends at University of Agder as well as University of KwazuluNatal in South Africa would continue to support the programs through (CO-) research, curriculum development and teaching.
Due to Covid-19 delays, we were unable to start properly until this week. From 7-9th June we recieved at NLA Gimlekollen Campus in Kristiansand, a delegation of 14 personnel from the respective countries including the Vice Chancellor of UCU, the Dean of the SJM, UR, several professors and uncoming scholars from all the respectives institutions. It has been a spendid deliberation around the 5 workpackages and we are good to go. Special thanks to Terje Skjerdal (Norway PI), Monica Chibita (Uganda PI), Margaret Jjuuko (Rwanda PI) and Ruth Teer Tomaselli (South Africa PI). Thank you for putting this together and spearheading this partnership and to each and everyone taking part in making possible.
Work package 1: ‘Improving the quality of Media and Communication education in Uganda and Rwanda and introducing new programmes’.
Work package 2: ‘Enhancing the competence of academic staff’
Work package 3: ‘Improving the gender balance and making the learning environments more inclusive’
Work package 4: ‘Upgrading infrastructure and equipment’
Work package 5: ‘Strengthened research collaboration‘
In other related news:
UCU Vice Chancellor in Norway for NORHED project launch
Afromedia Network – Linking African Media Research Communities together. Register yourself.
New Open Access book on Health Crises and Media Discourses in Sub-Saharan Africa.
NLA recieves 40Million Kroners for NORHED II projects (in Norsk).
Carol Azungi Dralega 