NELGA celebrates its first graduates

NELGA scholars: Peter Ochieng Odwe, Said Rajabu Mndeme, Rebecca Justin Milamo & Meckson Lodern Nzogela, from left -right

“Graduating from my master’s is a dream that came true at the right moment” Rebecca J. Milamo.

2019 marks a celebratory year for the NELGA scholarship programme, as we celebrate our first 10 graduates from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana and Ardhi University, Tanzania.

The NELGA scholarship programme is a comprehensive scholars programme available for young academics and professionals from all African Union member states through the German Academic Exchange programme (DAAD). It aims to support master’s and PhD studies as well as short term trainings for young candidates, mid-career professionals and researchers. Since its inception in 2016, the scholarship programme has awarded a total of 82 scholarships to students from over 20 African countries of which 21 are women.

Rebecca Justin Milamo – MSc graduate Ardhi University, Tanzania

After my undergraduate degree (BSc. In Land Management and Valuation), I worked with several real estate firms and institutions as a trainee. That is when I realized that the land governance sector faces a lot of challenges but is also very exciting and promising. I also noted the land governance sector has limited number of qualified professionals, especially women. In my country, (Tanzania), women are less involved in land governance mainly due to social factors such as customary land rights which are governed based on culture or traditions of a particular group. Most tribes in Tanzania are patrilineal and marginalize women in land matters such as ownership, inheritance, management and decision making. I therefore saw an opportunity for women in the sector, and to be able to participate effectively, I needed to gain more knowledge and skills in this field of study. Hence, this inspired me to pursue MSc. Real Estate. – Rebecca.

Nancy Kankam Kusi – MSc graduate, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana.

“The passion to learn new things and my ambition to become an agent of change in the development sector has always been the driving force of my academic studies. Even though I was so excited when I completed my studies, I still have a great responsibility to transfer the knowledge I have gained so far to promote the land governance sector in the region. I am currently looking for opportunities in-country and in-region to contribute immensely in the sector.” – Nancy