Current Research Projects

a) Ongoing Projects

1) Charcoal Project

Title: Charcoal Conflict in Climate Change’s Decarbonisation Dilemmas: Knots of Livelihood, Nutrition, Communities, Gender, Migration & Energy in East Africa

Partner Institutions: St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT), the Human Rights and Peace Centre (HURIPEC) at Makerere University in Uganda, and the Centre for Resolution of International Conflicts (CRIC) at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Project Summary:

Charcoal is the primary energy source for households in Tanzania and Uganda. However, policies governing charcoal in both countries are inconsistent. The adverse impacts, such as deforestation and pollution, drive efforts for fuel substitution or enhancement of the charcoal value chain. Simultaneously, developmental objectives and population growth exacerbate dependence on charcoal. International climate initiatives further complicate the situation by pressuring countries like Tanzania and Uganda, leading to abrupt directives that often overlook the complex dynamics surrounding charcoal—including its role in livelihoods, gender relations, informal economies, and private sector development.

This project seeks to understand the challenges of climate change mitigation, particularly the conflicts arising from "decarbonisation dilemmas." It aims to enhance theoretical frameworks of climate justice and global governance by explicitly linking them to local instances, fostering peaceful energy transitions that reduce emissions while supporting local livelihoods.

2) Cultural Heritage Project

Title: Cultural Heritage Impact Assessment for Preservation and Conservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage (CULTNAT) in Standard Gauge Railway Line from Tabora to Kigoma

Partner Institutions: St. Augustine University of Tanzania, Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC)

Project Summary:

This project aims to analyze existing cultural and natural heritage within the area surrounding the Tanzania Railway Corporation (TRC) Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) construction landscape. It provides a critical examination of strategies for preserving and protecting heritage sites, which are vital for Tanzania’s national identity, power, and global branding. Destruction of these heritages amplifies the erosion of Tanzania’s cultural assets. The study includes aspects such as slave trade legacies, cultural historical sites, oral histories, indigenous practices, environmental landscapes, plantations, and infrastructures.

The project proposes the establishment of a TRC Museum and Archive to safeguard these resources.

b) Proposal Development

1) Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) and Its Multi-Country Impact

Partner Institution: This proposal,( to be submitted to the European Union through Erasmus+), is being developed by a consortium of six universities: Three from Tanzania (St. Augustine University of Tanzania, St. John’s University of Tanzania, and Ruaha Catholic University) and three from Europe (Catholic University of Valencia in Spain, Klaipeda University in Lithuania, and South East Technological University in Ireland).

Proposal Summary:

The impetus for this project comes from the reality that higher learning institutions face challenges related to rapid technological changes, globalization, climate change and other issues. It could be stated that they are working in a VUCA environment, which stands for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity—aspects of the learning framework. This framework enunciates several competencies such as adaptation, self-organization, collaboration, cooperation, multicultural competence, interaction with other sectors, interdisciplinary scope, etc.

Expected Project Outcomes/Outputs

1. Creation of a tool to measure teacher excellence (Dashboard/Balanced Scorecard)

It is expected that the results will help teachers in identifying which areas of their teaching-learning process can be improved and offer a valuable perspective in today’s education environment. The aim is to help educators in their tasks of decoding and making sense of volatile, uncertainty, complex and ambiguous data.

2. Creation of hub or center of excellence in Tanzania

The objective of establishing a center of excellence is to enhance pillars of excellence from a long-term perspective and to improve the practice of working closely with companies and professionals. Academicians need to have professional development opportunities to further develop their talent and allow them to access innovative ideas regarding newest methodologies, new exercises, content, current labour market needs, adapt an interdisciplinary approach, develop new skills and attitudes that are sustainable. This will provide a forum where academicians, professionals, practitioners, institutions interact. It is expected that the center will provide the necessary resources and facilities to enable this interaction.

3. Creating a platform for sharing excellent papers and good practice

A database that will serve as a valuable source to equip professors and others with knowledge and strategies that that will help them to become better equipped to integrate update and acquire useful knowledge in their teaching-learning activities will be created.

The project’s outcomes will be extrapolated to six additional African countries.

The project proposes the establishment of a TRC Museum and Archive to safeguard these resources.

2) Living Lab for Sustainable E-Mobility of Fishing Boats on Lake Victoria

Partner institution: Developed by St. Augustine University of Tanzania and Clausthal University of Technology and ASOBO Ltd.

Proposal Summary:

This project proposes a Living Lab for sustainable e-mobility technologies using innovative sodium-ion battery technology. It will include business models supported by digital information systems for predictive maintenance to ensure safe, economical, and reliable operations of e-boats. The lab will be in Mwanza at Kayenze Ndogo Beach at the shores of lake Victoria.

With an estimated 100,000 small-scale fishing boats on Lake Victoria, powered by gasoline outboard engines, the project seeks to replace these with electric motors using solar-powered sodium-ion batteries. The initiative aims to reduce operational costs for fishermen, increase earnings, and achieve significant CO2 savings—approximately 10 tons per boat annually.

c) International Research Students

York University, Canada:

A post-doctoral research student from York University will collaborate with a faculty member at St. Augustine University of Tanzania to study wetland and dryland environmental challenges. The research will analyze landscapes and livelihoods in Northwestern Tanzania from the 1970s to the present.

Oslo University, Norway:

An MA student from Oslo University will conduct research in Tanzania on "Dialogue in Diversity – An Interreligious Perspective from Tanzania." This study will be co-supervised by St. Augustine University of Tanzania, the host institution and main beneficiary.