MSc Social Protection Alumni Event in Tanzania

MSc Social Protection Alumni in Tanzania

The Department of Social Policy and Social Security Studies at the Bonn-Rhein-Sieg University of Applied Sciences in coordination with the Institute of Finance Management in Tanzania has successfully held the first-ever alumni workshop titled ''Advancing Social Protection in Sub-Saharan Africa – Smart Solutions for the Insurance Sector Developed by H-BRS Alumni". The workshop was held in Dar es Salaam from 23 – 27 August 2023 and proudly sponsored by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with funds from the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

More information about the seminar

Sharing and Discussing Ideas, Best Practices and Current Debates

The participants of the workshop delved into various topics such as:

The Role of Digital Transformation in the Insurance and Social Protection Sector,
Digital Transformation of Social Insurance Services, and
Increasing Access to Social Insurance for the Informal Economy – Opportunities and Challenges

among others. The discussions were carried out through panel discussions, alumni presentations, and expert talks from invited guests. The participants formulated smart solutions on how to overcome challenges in the area of pension, health and climate insurance in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Field Trip

In addition to the discussions, a field trip to the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) headquarters and two project sites, the Ilala Kigamboni Bridge and Kijichi Housing Project, gave participants an insight into the current work of a national actor in the field of social security in Tanzania.

Networking

More informally, the students were then able to exchange information about current work and career and cooperation opportunities with representatives of German institutions in Tanzania during a networking dinner, namely the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation (FES), Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, Institute for International Cooperation of the German Adult Education Association (DVV), and Hanns-Seidel-Foundation.

Many alumni met for the first time beyond the boundaries of their own cohort and were able to exchange about their careers and interests. For all participants, it was very exciting to gain insights from the different affiliated organisations, but also to get to know each other informally.

MSc Social Protection

The Master's programme in Social Protection (MSc) is an interdisciplinary and international Master's programme that provides students with relevant methods and tools to critically analyse and reform social protection mechanisms and systems as well as to align them to current challenges, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

Partner University IFM

Our partner university in Dar es Salaam, the Institute of Finance Management (IFM), also offers study programmes in the area of social protection. H-BRS and IFM work closely in designing curricula, conducting lectures, sharing ideas and providing exchange opportunities for students. Through the DAAD project “Take-Off4Internationalisation” (TOFI), H-BRS was able to support the digitalization process of IFM with technical equipment, which will be used for joint lectures.