IRIS in the Dar es Salaam Innovation Week
Innovation Week 2019 was the week-long series of events curated by the Human Development Innovation Fund (HDIF) and Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) with the support of UKAid. Under the theme 2019 Scaling and Sustaining Innovation for Human Development variety of actors such as NGO’s, public and private sector, universities, hubs, projects, research institutes and business life offered presentations and networking opportunities, organized workshops and panel discussions. IRIS focused on the results of the project and presented to the audience the pedagogy framework developed for TUDARCo. Objective was to receive feedback and comments of the pedagogy model but in addition to contact with new partners.
First IRIS activity was the Site event at the National Library of Tanzania on Tuesday 26th March. This all day interactive conference received good audience with over 60 participants. Provost Uswege Minga opened the day by welcoming active pedagogy approach to the campus of TUDARco. The keynote speaker Jumanne Mtambalike – CO of Sahara Ventures – was so stimulative! Mtambalike encouraged not only academics and private sector to work closely together but he also inspired students towards curiosity, openness and lifelong learning. Overall, the audience was highly inspired of pedagogy model IRIS team members presented during the afternoon and discussions continued long after formal presentations.
On Wednesday morning, IRIS workshop collected nearly 50 people to BUNI Hub venues. Around the tables, groups elaborated concrete and realistic solutions to increase interaction and collaboration between communities and universities. For example, community members invited academics to meet them regularly and suggested that universities could use social media channels actively to communicate and inform local people.
On Friday 29th March, the IRIS exhibition stand in the COSTECH showroom was busy and energetic. More than 200 visitors stopped at the stand and were willing to hear about the outcome and impacts of the project. TUDARCo students were convincing and attractive team and all visitors recognized their orange IRIS T-shirts.
Dar es Salaam innovation week was a unique opportunity to IRIS to encounter variety of society members and authorities and collect response of TUDARCo’s innovation pedagogy model. Besides the audience, media was very interested in the new pedagogy model and invited project representatives to further discussions. Moreover, the week was active learning platform not only for the project team but also for TUDARCo’s students. Feedback was encouraging; students emphasized comprehensive experience and opportunity of expansive learning. One student sums up the week nicely:
Event week encouraged me to work for the community, there is a sense!
