SSA community concludes academic year with a festive afternoon celebrating talent, successes and African perspectives
On Friday 19 June, around 50 students and staff gathered for the end-of-the-2025–2026 academic year networking event. The afternoon offered an opportunity to celebrate talent, share inspiring success stories, and strengthen connections across the growing SSA network.
Prof. George Azzopardi opened the event with an update on the Sub-Saharan Africa strategy and reflected on the progress made over the past year. Participants then heard from Finn Gleichmann, who presented the recently awarded UNESCO Chair in Sustainable Landscape Governance, Education and Citizen Science, highlighting the value of international collaboration and interdisciplinary approaches.
A major highlight of the afternoon were the presentations of the Bachelor, Master and PhD Thesis Awards winners. The winners shared the findings of their research and were presented with their awards by Rector Magnificus Prof. Jacquelien Scherpen. Their work showcased the breadth and quality of Africa-related research taking place across the University of Groningen.
After the break, Prof. Jutta Bolt presented her project Africa@Work, which recently received a prestigious ERC Consolidator Grant. Her talk offered an inspiring example of how ambitious research initiatives can contribute to a deeper understanding of the African continent and its global connections.
The audience was then treated to the final of the video competition, African Perspectives on Groningen, led by Dr David Cheruiyot. The videos offered valuable insights into how students from SSA experience academic and social life in Groningen. Alongside celebrating positive experiences, they shared areas for improvement and served as an important reminder that challenges related to social isolation require continued attention.
The event also provided an opportunity to bid farewell to Dr David Cheruiyot, who will continue his academic career in Australia. Over the past years, David has played an instrumental role in advancing the University’s Sub-Saharan Africa strategy.
The afternoon concluded with informal drinks and an Africa pub quiz hosted by Gabriel Dinda Olewe and Rik Lubbers. The quiz proved highly competitive and great fun, ending the academic year on a festive note and providing ample opportunity for colleagues and students to connect.
The Sub-Saharan Africa team looks back on a successful event and thanks everyone who contributed to making it such an enjoyable and inspiring occasion. We look forward to building on these achievements in the years ahead.
