From Bologna to Ifakara: A University Delegation in Tanzania

Albino Kalolo - SFUCHAS, Tommaso Tonetti, Massimo Di Simone e Federico Messersì -
University of Bologna, Senga Pemba - SFUCHAS

Tommaso Tonetti - University of Bologna, Senga Pemba - SFUCHAS, Massimo Di Simone e Federico Messersì - University of Bologna

A delegation from the University of Bologna spent five days in Ifakara, Tanzania, at the St. Francis University College of Health and Allied Sciences (SFUCHAS). This visit, framed within the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility (ICM) agreement, exemplifies the international cooperation ethos of the University of Bologna, a partnership that has been ongoing since 2018.

Ifakara, situated in the central-southern highlands of Tanzania, is a rapidly growing town both demographically and economically. It has developed into a significant scientific research cluster with a focus on healthcare. SFUCHAS, the first Tanzanian university established in a rural area, was founded in collaboration with St. Francis Referral Hospital (SFRH) and currently serves 800 students. The cluster also includes the newly established Good Samaritan Cancer Hospital (GSCH) and the internationally renowned Ifakara Health Institute (IHI), which specializes in research on infectious diseases such as malaria, HIV, and tuberculosis.

The University of Bologna delegation, consisting of Massimo Di Simone and Tommaso Tonetti, professors from the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, and Federico Messersì from the Education and PhD programme Division (AFORM), engaged with students, faculty, and the boards of SFUCHAS, IHI, and GSCH. They reinforced existing relationships and exchange programmes while initiating discussions on aligning the curricula of both institutions. SFUCHAS’s board sought the University of Bologna’s collaboration in developing a new postgraduate professional master’s programme in Medicine and Surgery. Additionally, there are ongoing considerations for active support from University of Bologna faculty in teaching the new SFUCHAS degree programmes.

The Erasmus+ ICM agreement was signed in the 2018-19 academic year, building on the existing cooperation between the School of Medicine and SFUCHAS. This collaboration has steadily strengthened, facilitating the exchange of nine medical residents and five staff members (faculty and technical administrative staff) from the University of Bologna, as well as thirteen students and six faculty members from SFUCHAS. Albino Kalolo, currently the Rector of SFUCHAS, participated in the Erasmus+ ICM exchange with the University of Bologna as a faculty member in 2019.