Hanze East Africa Hub

The HEAH is a meeting place where companies, educational institutions and the government work together to find innovative solutions to issues.

In 2022, the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen started setting up the Hanze East Africa Hub (HEAH). The HEAH is a meeting place where companies, educational institutions and the government work together to find innovative solutions to (interdisciplinary) issues. The cooperation takes place between companies in East Africa, the Hanze University of Applied Sciences (HUAS) and partner institutions in the respective country.

The Hanze East Africa Hub is part of the Hanze Centre for Development Cooperation (HCDC). The HCDC has been active in capacity building on the African continent since 1995. For nearly 30 years years, the HCDC has built a large network with educational institutions in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, among others.

Why this initiative?

The Hanze UAS has chosen to set up an Innovation Hub in East Africa because it leads to long-term and equal cooperation between students, teachers and researchers from both countries. In addition, they contribute to the further development of the business and government sectors in the partner countries.

Through the (research) projects, Hanze UAS wants to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a very direct way. The projects will focus on the following SDGs:

  • SDG 3: Good health and well-being
  • SDG 7: Affordable and sustainable energy
  • SDG 8: Fair work and economic growth
  • SDG 12: Responsible consumption and production

Why East Africa?

The Hanze UAS has been active in this region since 2006 and over the years has built a large network with higher education and TVET institutions. Additionally, there is a common language used in education and research.

Subject areas

The HEAH focuses on the themes: Energy, Food, Health and the cross cutting themes Business, IT and Communication. The choice of these themes is based on the problems in the region, the demand from companies and the expertise of the HEAH.

Future plans

The Hanze East Africa Hub is active in Tanzania and Kenya and is exploring opportunities in the region. The aim is to organise around 20 student projects a year from 2023 – 2024. To this end, HEAH works together with a large number of departments within Hanze UAS and a growing number of partner institutions in East Africa.