- Academic community
At the University of Eastern Finland, Africa Day represents an opportunity to acknowledge a diverse and important group of scholars and academics who enrich and make a valuable contribution to education and research in and on Africa.
We shall have a series of different activities and communications about our collaborations with our African colleagues, partner institutions and networks. Further information below and on our social media #AfricaDayUEF.
Events
UEF Library’s Virtual exhibition on Africa
The UEF Library hosts a virtual exhibition on UEF Primo, featuring books related to the African Union, the history and future of Africa.
Sunday 24 May 2026 14.00-16.30
Monday 25 May 2026
SANORD Webinar: Her Impact, Our Future: Women at the Forefront of African Higher Education 11.00-12.30 SAST | 12.00-13.30 EEST
This webinar brings together inspiring voices to celebrate the leadership, resilience, and vision of women who have shaped and advanced higher education across Africa. Hosted by SANORD’s Special Interest Group ‘Gender Balance and Equity in Higher Education’ in partnership with the University of Johannesburg and the University of Eastern Finland, this Africa Day webinar highlights personal journeys, institutional impact, and pathways for gender-equitable academic futures and is a tribute to women whose work continues to transform learning, research, and leadership across the continent.
Programme and link will be updated here soon.
Tuesday 26 May 2026
SciFest 2026 in Kenya 8.00-17.30
SciFest Kenya 2026 is an exciting one-day science and innovation event set to take place at the Precious Blood High School, Riruta, bringing hands-on STEM learning to secondary school students. The programme will feature interactive robotics and foldscope workshops linked to environmental awareness, complemented by engaging mathematics activities throughout the day. Students will rotate through sessions in small groups and take part in a school-wide mentorship session designed to inspire curiosity, collaboration, and future pathways in science. Organized in partnership with Edutab Africa, the Joensuu Science Society, the University of Eastern Finland, and the PB Alumni Association, SciFest Kenya 2026 marks the beginning of a sustainable, long-term approach to STEM education.
SciFest Kenya 2026 is an by invitation only event.
Filo Meets Africa 13.00-16.00 EEST, UEF Joensuu campus, Educa building and online
Filo Meets Africa rings together scholars, practitioners, and partners to reflect on the future of education for sustainable development and South-North collaboration. The programme features a seminar on transforming international development cooperation and future teacher education, alongside the FILO Meets Africa Exhibition and Gallery Walk, showcasing Africa-focused research and partnerships within UEF’s Philosophical Faculty. The event highlights shared learning, innovation, and long-term collaboration at the heart of sustainable global development.
Further information about the programme and registration can be found here.
UEF Africa researchers
Get to know some of the researchers at UEF who partner with Africa on the UEF Global Development website. Check out the section on Experts by Region and choose Africa!
Latest news from some UEF Africa projects
Development of a paediatric HIV medication was honoured with an award in South Africa
A groundbreaking collaboration between the University of Eastern Finland and South Africa’s Tshwane University of Technology has been recognised with a major innovation award in South Africa. Doctoral researcher Mpho Kotlolo received the EDHE ABSA Challenge Award for developing a rapidly dissolving paediatric HIV tablet designed for use in resource‑limited settings. The child-friendly formulation addresses critical challenges such as poor storage conditions and dosing difficulties, offering new hope for improving HIV treatment among infants and children in sub‑Saharan Africa, where the burden of paediatric HIV is greatest. Read more here.
The Real-Life Math project, funded under the Team Finland Knowledge programme, continues to make mathematics visible and meaningful in everyday contexts. Dr. Manonyane Mamthimkhulu Mafaesa, from the Ministry of Education and Training of Lesotho, reflects on how practical activities such as adjusting recipes can strengthen mathematical literacy in a post titled Discovering the Secret Ingredient: How Mathematical Literacy Powers Recipe Scaling. The example shows how ratios, proportions, and reasoning naturally emerge in familiar situations, helping learners see mathematics as a useful and empowering tool rather than an abstract subject.
Learning beyond borders: FUTE Blog series
The Future Teacher Education for Sustainable Development (FUTE) project, funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs through the Higher Education Partnership programme, continues to foster meaningful international collaboration and learning. As part of the project’s mobility activities, students from Namibia participated in an exchange at the University of Dar es Salaam’s College of Education in Tanzania. Through academic engagement, school visits, and cultural immersion, the exchange offered valuable insights into education for sustainable development across contexts. Read students Ruusa Ndangi’s and Paulus Hangusu’s reflections on their learning journey beyond borders here.
The Empowering Physical Education Programme in Tanzania and Finland
EPEP funded under the Team Finland Knowledge programme, continues to strengthen collaboration between Finnish and Tanzanian partners. Most recently, project participants met in Oulu, focusing on co-developing sustainability-oriented physical education practices and embedding the Sustainable Development Goals in teacher education through co-learning and mobility. “Working alongside colleagues from different contexts helped me see physical education not just as a subject, but as a powerful tool for sustainability and inclusion,” reflected one participant. Read more about EPEP here.
Virtual Studies for Global Sustainable Development in Southern African Collaboration
The GLOBUS project coordinated by UniPID and funded by the Team Finland Knowledge programme, strengthens cooperation between Finnish and Southern African universities through virtual learning. The project was launched in March 2026 with an online webinar introducing its goals, partners, and the Collaborative International Online Learning (COIL) approach. Watch the launch video here and learn more about how GLOBUS is advancing joint virtual courses in global sustainable development.
Dissertation news
Kennedy Chifundo Adamson’s novel study shows, how artisanal and small-scale mining helps vulnerable rural households in Malawi to cope with climate stress, income uncertainty and livelihood risks. Read more here.
Temitayo Olatoye’s study: British norms persist in writing, while spoken Nigerian English becomes more American. Read more here.
African Student Stories
We have over 200 African students currently enrolled at UEF, over 100 master’s students and about 100 doctoral researchers. They come from 22 different African countries. Here are some of their stories:
Read more about UEF degree programmes offered in English.
African Student Exchange Stories
UEF collaborates through the Erasmus + Global Mobility programme to implement student mobility with the following African universities: Cameroon: Pan African Institute of Governance, Egypt: Pharos University, Eritrea: National Higher Education and Research Institute; Ghana: Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana, University of Development Studies, and CSIR College of Science and Technology, Kenya: Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Morocco: University of Ibn Zohr and Al Akhwayan University, Mozambique: Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Namibia: University of Namibia, Nigeria: University of Lagos, South Africa: Tshwane University of Technology, University of Limpopo, University of Pretoria, Tanzania: College of Business Education, Uganda: Makerere University. The UEF School of Pharmacy also collaborates with Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, and the University of Health and Allied Sciences that offer UEF students an opportunity to complete some of their pharmacy practical training in local pharmacies.
- See what South African research exchange student Mpho Kotlolo has to say about her exchange at UEF.
- See what Namibian exchange student Gebhardt Kanime from the University of Debrecen, Hungary has to say about his exchange at UEF.
- See what Ghanaian exchange student Mina Poku-Agyemang from CSIR Ghana has to say about her exchange at UEF.
African Alumni Stories
Over the years, over 1000 Africans from 30 different African countries have studied at UEF. Here are some of the stories of our African alumni:
- Kwame Ohene Buabeng from Ghana.
- Jimmiel Mandima from Zimbabwe.
- Emma Kwegyir-Afful from Ghana.
- Victor Nyange from Kenya.
- Tanke Aba Samson from Cameroon.
Join the UEF Alumni network here!
Networks
Finnish University Partnership for International Development (UniPID)
UniPID supports engagement with Africa and other parts of the Global South. Some examples of the support provided to enhance this collaborations include:
- UniPID Virtual Courses Many courses soon opening up for registration. Courses are open to students and exchange students at UniPID member universitites.
- UniPID DocNET The Finnish development research doctoral network.
- UniPID Infobank is a multidisciplinary expert and project database with researcher profiles and collaborative project descriptions to facilitate knowledge exchange, communication and cooperation opportunities.
- UniPID Toolkit for global academic partnerships.
- UniPID ethical guidelines for Global South collaboration
Southern Africa Nordic Centre (SANORD)
SANORD furthers multilateral academic cooperation between the southern Africa and Nordic regions and helps strengthen the capacity of all member institutions to address new local and global challenges of innovation and development. SANORD’s annual conference in 2026 will be held from 23rd to 25th September 2026 in Windhoek, Namibia, hosted by the University of Namibia. More information from the website.
