Margaret Ngima Macharia Kedogo | University of Nairobi | RESPIRA_ABEP project
Margaret Ngima Macharia Kedogo is a lecturer at the University of Nairobi, specialising in Urban Design, Planning and Development. In the framework of the Respiratory Health, Outdoor Air Pollution and Solid Waste Management: A Built Environment Perspective (RESPIRA_ABEP) project, Margaret took a tour of our alliance, visiting Madrid, Leuven, and Leiden to connect with colleagues and together investigate the impact of mismanaged solid waste burning on air pollution and chronic respiratory diseases.
Margaret Ngima Macharia Kedogo
Margaret meeting with colleagues at Universidad Complutense de Madrid
Margaret delivering a lecture to colleagues at KU Leuven
Margaret visiting Universiteit Leiden
Visit to Valdemingómez Landfill, Spain
" The funding has helped us so much because otherwise we wouldn't be here in the first place. It has helped us to realise our intentions – of networking and collaborating, and to develop a proposal to address some of these issues in very concrete ways. "
Margaret on the impact of Una Europa–Africa Partnership Seed Funding on the RESPIRA_ABEP project.
Duncan Elly Ochieng | University of Nairobi | gDTEA project
Senior Lecturer in Finance and Accounting at the University of Nairobi, Duncan Elly Ochieng travelled to the University of Edinburgh to connect with project coordinator Mustapha Douch and kickstart the gDTEA project, drawing out cross-continental lessons and best practices from how small-medium enterprises in Europe and Africa are responding to the Green and Digital Transitions.
Duncan (Chairholder) and Mustapha (Project Coordinator) meeting at the University of Edinburgh.
" The Una Europa community has exposed me to new early-career researchers from different universities handling diverse research themes. The energy and vibrancy from the researchers is a constant challenge. "
Duncan reflecting on the role of early-career researchers in the gDTEA project.
Clovice Kankya | Makerere University | NEXTAFRICA project
Food safety is a major global public health concern and the central challenge addressed by the NEXTAFRICA project. Chairholder Clovice Kankya, Professor at the Department of Biosecurity, Ecosystems and Veterinary Public Health at Makerere University, travelled to Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna to contribute to a series of workshops and the One Health Europe–Africa Summit on Veterinary Public Health & Food Safety, which together aimed to advance discourse on food safety across Europe and Africa.
Clovice with NEXTAFRICA Project Coordinator Alessandro Seguino.
Clovice and Alessandro at the One Health Europe–Africa Summit on Veterinary Public Health & Food Safety.
Clovice Kankya in Bologna.
" The NEXTAFRICA project provides a very fertile ground for sharing expertise and sharing students, facilitating student movement and contributing to the next generation of researchers. "
Clovice on the long-term impact of the NEXTAFRICA project.
Allen Asiimwe | Makerere University | ELSEA project
The Enhancing Scholarship in Eastern Africa (ELSEA) project set out to advance language description by equipping early-career linguists in East Africa with the training needed to carry out this vital work. Allen Asiimwe, Senior Lecturer in the Department of African Languages at Makerere University, visited Universiteit Leiden to co-deliver an online training course under the project, which was complimented by a field school hosted by Makerere University in August 2025.
Allen recording the online training course alongside Universiteit Leiden's Jenneke van der Wal.
Allen and Jenneke at the ELSEA field school in Uganda.
The online course was complimented by in-person training through a field school.
" The project enhanced my own knowledge of preparing and delivering online lectures. As I become more grounded in descriptive linguistics, I will also be able to mentor other researchers at my own university. "
Allen reflects on her personal growth through the ELSEA project.
Annamari Heikinheimo | Helsingin yliopisto/Helsingfors universitet | GLOSAR project
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an increasingly serious threat to global public health, especially in low- and middle-income countries. The Global Surveillance of Antimicrobial Resistance: Tools, Technologies and Methods (GLOSAR) project, coordinated by Annamari Heikinheimo (Helsingin yliopisto/Helsingfors universitet), unites universities in Europe and Africa to tackle the spread of AMR by strengthening multidisciplinary education and research, raising awareness, and advocating for one health approaches to this complex challenge.
Annamari with GLOSAR Chairholder Thumbi Mwangi, University of Nairobi, in Helsinki.
Annamari and Thumbi welcoming colleagues to their meeting in Helsinki.
Annamari with GLOSAR colleagues at their meeting in Helsinki.
" Antimicrobial resistance is one of the greatest challenges of our time. Collaboration between universities, countries and continents is crucial in tackling the threat. "
Annamari highlights the importance of cross-continental collaboration in the context of the GLOSER project.
The six Una Europa–Africa Partnership Seed Funding projects came to a close in August 2025, but for many the seed keeps on growing and the collaboration continues. Keep an eye on Una Europa on social media for the latest developments from the projects!
Want to learn more about Una Europa Seed Funding? Visit our dedicated Seed Funding page for the latest updates.
