In August 2021, university leaders from 8 East African institutions gathered at Rongo University, Kenya to draw a roadmap for operating and driving impact through their partnership. That meeting would eventually lead to the formation of The Education Collaborative’s first ever regional hub. Against the backdrop of the declining COVID-19 pandemic, there was a palpable feeling of possibility in the gathering. Eric Saulo, Director of Partnerships and Internationalization at Strathmore University, was present, and he describes how it all started.
“It is not often that you get several leaders of top institutions gathered in the same place, united and excited on a common agenda on improving graduate outcomes, and working towards practical solutions.”
According to Saulo, that meeting laid the foundation for open conversations, mutual trust and sharing of experiences that defines the hub to date. Soon after that meeting, two committees were set up, the Strategic committee comprising of vice chancellors and institutional head who determined the region’s priorities and direction, and the Technical Committee (TC) made up of institutional representatives with the mandate to create value for their institutions and peers in The Collaborative by actively exploring collaborations and partnerships with stakeholders in the region.
“As a pioneering hub we had a special responsibility, a unique role to set the pace, and it was a steep learning curve – we were building from the ground up,” he said. “The significant task on our hand from the Strategic Committee was three-fold: develop a strategic plan, hold a regional convening, and launch a membership drive.”
In his role as Director of Partnerships and Internationalization at Strathmore University, Eric’s role centers around building relationships and collaboration, skills that he says have been instrumental in his role as the inaugural chairperson of the East Africa Hub Technical Committee. Initially, trained as an engineer, he has taken up roles in project management, institutional advancement and alumni relations.
The experienced administrator shared how he fosters collaboration, “Harnessing and leveraging the energy of the diverse team made up of talented individuals from different institutions, countries, experiences and expertise has been my driving philosophy and it has afforded us opportunity for growth and progress, new connections and an expanded networks even new skills and knowledge.” And on commitment he says “right from the gate we made big asks on ourselves and our time- a 2 hour long monthly meeting and even more hours after especially as we were working on the strategic plan. What drove the TC then and inspires us now is a passion for our student’s success, the chance to make a difference and of course the support of our VCs who have given us the latitude to explore, innovate and operationalize the hub goals.”
As Eric relates, the journey has not been without hurdles, “championing for this new initiative on our campuses to broaden and deepen engagement across the institution has been challenging as faculty have to balance other institutional demands on their time and several other projects not to mention their core responsibilities. But we have seen an uptake in participation across communities of practice and interest in participation at the Convenings.”
During his tenure the hub has held three successful regional convenings in Kigali, Kampala and Dar es Salaam, published a white paper that outlined a collaborative framework to enhance student employment outcomes in East Africa and held webinars around the focal areas – spotlighting the power of regional partnerships in driving institutional growth. In the coming year, he says the hub is focused on a continued campaign to expand the networks footprint in the region, increased sharing of best practice resource, tools and innovation that will drive employability and entrepreneurship outcomes, an emphasis on ethical leadership transformation and development through the GVV-Africa program and publication of collaborative research that can influence and sharp regulatory policy.
Borrowing a leaf from the hubs leaders, who he says have inspired him a great deal, he defined leadership as service and making a difference in the life of others.
