Table 1. National Workshops, by country and theme: August 1994 - Dec. 2004

National workshops provide a forum for members to discuss topical issues in their respective countries. The workshops are mainly attended by researchers, policy makers and civil society group members. Some of the workshop proceedings of the Chapters are published and disseminated by OSSREA.

OSSREA Botswana Chapter

The Botswana Chapter of OSSREA was founded in 1985. Among its initial founders was Professor K. Sharma who became the first Liaison Officer. The Chapter initially remained small with only a few paid up members and with membership fluctuation year after year. However, since 2000 the membership to the OSSREA Botswana Chapter has grown considerably. Today, the Chapter boasts well over 40 fully paid up members. Nevertheless, membership has tended to fluctuate due to academic staff turnover at the University of Botswana; some members have left the branch after securing employment outside Botswana.

The Chapter membership spans a wide variety of disciplines in the Social Sciences, Law, Humanities, Business, Education, and Nursing. More specifically, the distribution of the current paid up membership by discipline is as follows: Business-three (3) members, Economics - three (3) members, Education six (6) members, Environmental Science - three (3) members, Law - two (2) members, Nursing - three (3) members, Political and Administrative Studies - three (3) members, Population Studies - four (4) members, Social Work - two (2) members, and Sociology - four (4) members.

Activities

Since 2000 the Botswana OSSREA Chapter has organized a number of activities. These have ranged from periodic meetings held by the Chapter during which matters affecting it are discussed, to activities that have academic significance. Milestone academic activities have included the following:

· 4-6 June 2001

A research workshop titled “Challenges and Responsibilities of Doing Research in Botswana: Ethical Issues” was conducted between 4-6 June 2001. The workshop principally attracted social scientists from the University of Botswana who presented papers and debated on critical ethical issues pertaining to the conduct of social research, particularly within the context of Botswana. It helped to create an understanding among participants of the need to adhere to ethical values and practices in carrying out research.

The issues covered in the workshop included the following: Ethical Values in Social Research, Ethics in Documenting Sources and Dissemination of Research Findings, Legal Implications of Research Undertakings, Academic Challenges and Responsibilities of Social Research, and Ethical Issues in the Design and Implementation of Social Research. During the workshop a sizable number of papers were presented.

·31 October 2003

A National Workshop with the theme, “Conducting Social Research in Sensitive Areas.” was held on the above mentioned day. The workshop, which was sponsored by the Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa, was a follow-up to the 4-6 June 2001 workshop titled, “Challenges and Responsibilities of Doing Social Research in Botswana: Ethical Issues.” The workshop used the experiences gained from the 2001 workshop but differed from it in that it was concerned not only with ethical issues in a broad sense, but was also wider in scope and perspective. More specifically, it dealt with vulnerable population groups and explored how such groups could be empowered in the research process.

The workshop’s objective was to provide information and education on various aspects of sensitive research, and was attended by about 40 participants, including paper presenters, moderators and participants. Participants mainly came from the University of Botswana’s Faculties of Social Sciences, Business, Education, Humanities, and Science. It was opened by the then Director of Research and Development at the University of Botswana, Professor Cliff Studman. In all, eleven papers were presented during the workshop.

Most of the papers presented during the two workshops profiled above were revised and resubmitted to the organizing committee for editing and publication. Although editing of both sets of papers was completed, the papers are yet to be published. The edited papers were passed over to the OSSREA head office in Addis Ababa for publication.

The Botswana Chapter has also participated in academic activities organized from the OSSREA head office in Addis Ababa as follows:

• OSSREA Research Methodology Training Workshops: Two Chapter members - Dr. Josephine Ndaba and Professor Charles Fombad - attended the 2003 workshop whereas Mrs Malebogo Bakwena attended the 11- 22 October 2005 workshop.

• Members have also actively participated in the various Congresses organized by the Head Office. For instance, during the 6^th OSSREA Congress held in Dar es Salaam in April 2000, five members of the Botswana Chapter presented papers. Similarly, two members of the Chapter presented papers at the 7^th OSSREA Congress which was held in Khartoum in December 2002.

• Chapter members have also competed for and won in the annual Social Science and Gender Issues Research Competitions and the Senior Scholars Research Grant. Dr. Edward Marandu, a chapter member, won the Senior Scholars Research Grant in 2003 whereas Mr. Zelealem Temtime was awarded in the 15^th Gender Issues Research Grant competition during the same year. In 2004, Dr G. Mookodi (jointly with Dr T. Maundeni) and Dr. S. Kapunda won the OSSREA HIV/AIDS grant.

The OSSREA Botswana Chapter wishes to thank the OSSREA Head Office in Addis Ababa profusely for its generosity which made it possible for the Chapter to host all the activities profiled above. Without the funds disbursed to the Chapter from Addis Ababa, it would not have been possible to hold the two workshops whose papers are expected to be published soon. Its continued financial support is highly appreciated and the Chapter looks forward to working with the OSSREA Headquarters to move the Botswana Chapter to greater heights.

The OSSREA Eritrea Chapter will run a Social Science Methodology course in November, and will hold its 2006 National Workshop from 8-11 February at the University of Asmara. The major theme of the workshop is Social Science Research and the Challenges of Development in Eritrea. The sub-themes include: a) Governance, Civil Society, and Development in Eritrea, b) Socio-Economic, Ethnographic, and Demographic Transformations in Eritrea, c) Pastoral Nomadism and Environmental Degradation in Eritrea, and d) Language, Pedagogy, Society, and Development in Eritrea. These will be treated under different topics that cover a wide range of historical, political, socio-economic, cultural, and linguistic issues relating to the major theme. Several papers by young and senior scholars from the University of Asmara, from line ministries, and non-governmental organisations are expected to be presented at the workshop. In addition, there will be a separate panel under the theme: “Social Science and Society in Eritrea: Past, Present, and New Visions”, on which distinguished scholars would present their reflections. The final day of the workshop will be devoted to a business session during which the General Assembly of Chapter members would be deliberating on the Chapter's achievements, challenges and future direction.

OSSREA Ethiopia Chapter

The OSSREA Ethiopia Chapter, located in Addis Ababa, is one of the founding members of OSSREA. A few senior faculty members of Addis Ababa University in the broad field of Social Sciences were interested in the creation of a regional forum for research and capacity building. Thus, in collaboration with fellow scholars in the eastern and southern Africa, they established OSSREA in 1980.

Currently the Ethiopian Chapter has close to one hundred active members, most of whom are from Addis Ababa University. Others are from other higher educational institutions, as well as governmental and non-governmental organizations. While females constitute about 10% of its total members, the majority of the members are holders of MA/PhD degrees. The Chapter plans to recruit more members in the next couple of years.

Since its inception, the Ethiopia Chapter has been one of the active members and beneficiary of OSSREA research activities. The major activities and benefits include holding national workshops/conferences and round-table discussions on nationally significant topics as found appropriate by the Chapter’s Liaison Committee. Accordingly, the topics/themes of the last five workshops include: “Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Ethiopia”, “Conflict in the Horn: Prevention and Resolution”, “Language, Culture, and Development in Ethiopia”, “Good Governance and Development”, and “Assessment of Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy: The Case of Ethiopia”. The abstracts of most of the presentations at the workshops were compiled and distributed to the Chapter members, participants, and relevant individuals.

The yearly workshops and the round-table discussions on topics such as “Gender and Democracy in Ethiopia” have created occasions for researchers as well as institutions and individuals concerned to meet and deliberate on nationally relevant issues. The Chapter therefore intends to continue holding at least one national conference per year. The themes to consider for the near future include: ”Culture, Peace and Human Rights”, “Migration and Settlement”, “Democracy, Human Rights, and Development”, “Education, Employment, and Youth”, and “Ethnicity, Tolerance and Democratization”. If and when funds are available, the Chapter also plans to have the proceedings of its conferences published and disseminated to the members and relevant stakeholders. An encouraging sign to this effect is that the proceedings of the first two of the aforementioned national workshops are already in the process of being published.

Another important achievement worth mentioning is that Chapter members and researchers concerned have also been the beneficiaries of OSSREA’s Research Grant Awards, Training Programmes, and Specialized Research Project schemes. The opportunities thus provided are hoped to have contributed towards the development and enhancement of a research culture in the Social Sciences.

All the aforementioned achievements of the Ethiopia Chapter of OSSREA are the outcomes of the unreserved support of the OSSREA Secretariat for which the Chapter is extremely grateful. The Chapter also acknowledges the support of Addis Ababa University for the Chapter’s activities in many ways.

Ethiopia Chapter’s National Workshop

 OSSREA Kenya Chapter

OSSREA Kenya Chapter was established in 1995 and was formally registered as a Chapter by the Government of Kenya in the year 2003. The Chapter has a membership of 300 persons drawn from Universities and Research Institutes in the country.

Kenya represents one of the best organised and strongest national Chapters, with the patron, Hon. Prof. Anyang’ Nyongo; the Liaison Officer, Dr. Grephas P. Opata and the National Executive Committee. The Committee is mandated to coordinate OSSREA activities in the country and provide the link between the members and the Secretariat. The representation in the committee is wide and strong. Most OSSREA evaluation reports have ranked Kenya among the top three national Chapters, and as the leading participants in OSSREA’s activities.

Since its inception, OSSREA has been conducting several regional and international activities in Kenya. Apart from hosting two Congresses in Eldoret and Mombasa, Kenya has been a generous and effective host to OSSREA’s research workshops, seminars, conferences, symposia and consultative meetings that would later influence policy. These activities have been organised by OSSREA in collaboration with the local scholars, universities and other institutions of higher learning.

Many Kenyan scholars have participated very effectively in all OSSREA projects.

Production and dissemination of knowledge is the centrepiece of objectives and activities of OSSREA. As such, the organization has been conducting and coordinating researches and offering training in research methodology skills. Kenya has greatly and effectively participated in the Social Science and Gender Issues Research Grant Programmes for junior scholars, in the Senior Scholars Research Awards, and has also benefited from the Research Methodology Training courses. These have helped to build a dependable research capacity and encourage research publications.

Every year, the Chapter hosts a National Workshop, Graduate Essay Competitions, participates in University Book Fairs and its members actively take part in OSSREA Research Grant Competitions.

OSSREA Lesotho Chapter

Introduction

The Lesotho Chapter of OSSREA was established in the mid 1990s when the late Prof. Gwen Malahleha, (may her soul rest in peace), who had been indeed one of the stalwarts of the National University of Lesotho – served on the Executive [Committee] of OSSREA.

In line with Article XII clause (1) of the OSSREA Constitution, the Chapter was registered in February 2002. As in all, like other Chapters, the day-to-day administration of the Chapter is vested in a Committee of three officers: Liaison Officer, Treasurer and Secretary in accordance with requirements of the OSSREA Constitution (Article XII clause 2). Beginning from mid-2004, the officers for Lesotho Chapter are Dr. T. Tsikoane (Liaison Officer), Mrs. M. E. Ntho (Treasurer) and Ms N. Mapetla (Secretary). Dr. Tsikoane took over from Dr. Maletela Tuoane who had inherited the leadership of the organisation from Dr. Itumeleng Kimane.

Major Highlights

· Membership Drive

From its inception in the mid 1980s, until the early 1990s, two primary activities marked the scope of operations of the Chapter. These were Scholars Competitions for awards, and later, Research Methodology workshops. From the mid-1990s onwards two other activities have come to form an integral part of the national chapter calendar of events: National Workshops and the OSSREA Book Day. In the specific context of Lesotho, membership drive is worth mentioning as an activity constituting part of the Chapter’s work plan for that year.

In order to step up the Chapter’s membership, it was planned to devote some days to membership recruitment. Accordingly, visits to various institutions of higher learning, government departments/line ministries, non-governmental and civil society organisations as well as research institutions in the country, were undertaken. Of these, the most rewarding in terms of tangible outcomes was the visit to Lesotho College of Education. One direct result of this visit was that more than ten (10) people from the College attended the National Workshop in November 2004.

· The National Workshop as a Flagpole

The national workshops the Chapter holds provide an invaluable outlet for colleagues to exchange ideas on their respective research activities. As such, it remains one of the magnetic flagpoles of the OSSREA network. Since 2002 when the Chapter was officially registered, three workshops have been held covering different themes. The first appeared under the theme “The Impact of the HIV/AIDS Scourge: A Social Science Response by Tertiary and Higher Education Institutions in Lesotho.” The theme for the second workshop (2003) was “Poverty and Development in Lesotho,” while the theme for the third (2004) was “Education and Training in Lesotho: Past, Present and Future.” Each theme was proposed with a view to address burning national policy issues at different points in time.

Although still numerically small, there is little doubt that the Chapter has made recognisable strides from an organisation of just a few individuals in the late 1990s to a paid-up membership of forty (40) in 2005.

Papers presented at the 2004 workshop covered a whole spectrum of issues surrounding education and training in contemporary Lesotho. Selection of participants was made in such a way so as to ensure the widest possible representation of relevant stakeholders in educational matters. These included the Ministry of Education and Training, Lesotho College of Education, non-state actors and civil society organisations with interest in education-related programmes. Also worth noting is the fact that the 2004 workshop was graced by the presence of the National Secretary of UNESCO Commission, who also officially opened the workshop. This was an important step in the direction of building partnerships with relevant organisations.

It is worth mentioning that 2005 has been a year of difference in terms of National Chapter’s activities. The change lies in the decision to suspend all other traditional activities and direct the scarce resources towards publishing the backlog of workshop papers. This is not because the suspended traditional activities are no longer relevant, but far from it. The reason for a moratorium is to create an opportunity for members to publish. It is thus logical to comment on the status of progress concerning the publication of workshop papers.

Two of the papers presented at the 2003 workshop have already been published in other social science refereed journals. Since April 2005 when clarifications were made (during the Liaison Officers’ meeting) regarding the expected procedures, eight papers have been forwarded for external and independent reviews. The reviewers were expected to have submitted their final reports by the end of September 2005. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, there have been some delays.

One remarkable feature of the workshops organised under the auspices of the Lesotho Chapter of OSSREA in the past two years (2003 and 2004) is the fact that, in each case, an overwhelming majority of the papers presented were authored by scholars in the Lecturer and Senior Lecturer brackets.

In line with the divergence characterising 2005, the Lesotho Chapter introduced a slight twist regarding the Book Day. In addition to the traditional Book Day in which the publications are displayed and advertised for a period of two days, the Committee has negotiated space with the Management of both the main university library and the documentation centre of the Institute of Southern African Studies (ISAS). This will have the effect of showcasing and marketing the materials far a period longer than was possible with the one-day or two-day displays.

Although the Chapter would have wished to see more and more Senior scholars taking active part in the affairs of the local Chapter, it is gratifying that young scholars are at the centre of OSSREA’s core business of promoting the emergence of a culture of excellence in social science study, research methodology, and training.

Finally, it would be remiss on our part to end this contribution without reference to students’ interest in the Essay Competition. The practice has been to align the essay topic with the Workshop theme. This was also the case in both 2003 and 2004, except that in 2004 the topic was slightly modified to address the HIV/AIDS pandemic in tandem with the national outcry. Thus, the essay topic read: “The Role of Tertiary Education in Mitigating the Impact of HIV/AIDS.” Seven (7) papers were received as opposed to four (4) in 2003. According to the juror, the overall performance shows a slight improvement from the previous year’s group of competitors, perhaps an attestation to the fact that the chosen topic related to their real lives. Relevance is key.

We conclude by stating the obvious: If the engine and weight of the Liaison Officer and his/her committee is key to success of the (local) Chapter, the support of the general membership is the fuel for that engine.

OSSREA Mozambique Chapter

Background

The Mozambique OSSREA Chapter was established in October 2002, on the premises of Eduardo Mondlane University, the biggest public University in Mozambique. Although OSSREA is a non-governmental research organization which operates in English, the Mozambican branch also uses the Portuguese language when most convenient.

The OSSREA Mozambican Representation operates through a Committee composed of three members and provincial delegates who are listed bellow:

Committee Members:

Ass. Prof. Benigna Zimba (Specialist in African History);

Ass. Prof. Marcelino Liphola (Specialist in Linguistics);

Mr. Obed Balói (Specialist in Sociology); and

Ms. Luísa Gomes (Secretary).

Provincial Delegates:

Province of Cabo Delgado: Mr. Alberto Fungulane;

Province of Nampula: Mr. Lourenço Mateus;

Province of Tete: Mr. Vasco Nhusse; and

Province of Zambézia: Dr. Vitória Langa.

Its mission is to develop and promote the emergence of a distinctive African tradition in the social sciences, by encouraging studies and research in the field. The Mozambican Chapter therefore has a responsibility to accomplish the objectives of OSSREA by fulfilling the following duties:

To encourage local scholars involved in teaching of and research in social sciences and humanities understood in its widest context; that is, areas such as linguistics, economics, demography, environment, geography, theology, religious studies, etc. are welcome to join this Organisation;

To organize local level academic activities of OSSREA members;

To conduct local meetings of OSSREA;

To extend membership to interested parties in the private sector and NGOs in Mozambique;

To create and facilitate programmes for young scholars in Mozambique by establishing links with other institutions in the country and beyond its borders;

To disseminate information on the activities of OSSREA in Mozambique and the research findings of its members through every appropriate media; and

To perform such additional tasks as the Executive Committee of OSSREA may from time to time determine.

The OSSREA Mozambique Chapter’s provincial representations are charged with specific tasks:

To support the activities carried out by the Chapter office in Maputo;

To recruit members to be affiliated to the organisation;

To disseminate OSSREA activities at provincial level, specifically inside higher education Institutions (universities, institutes, colleges, etc.), as follows:

• Call for OSSREA undergraduate and/or postgraduate essays competitions;
• Call for OSSREA Post-Doctoral research competitions for Social Sciences, Gender Issues, and others, in Eastern and Southern Africa;
• Call for papers for OSSREA National and international Conferences;
• To sell and/or make available OSSREA publications to the public.
• To collect membership fees and deposit them in the OSSREA Mozambiique Chapter’s account;
• To organize at least two meetings a year (before and after the National Conference); and
• To develop a report of activities to be presented at the annual conference.

The Mozambique OSSREA Chapter experesses its appreciation for the support provided by the OSSREA Secretariat.

Accomplishments

The OSSREA Mozambique Chapter, although started its activities in 2002, has completed the registration process by the end of 2003, and there have been quite a number of achievements since then:

• OSSREA is represented in 4 of the 10 provinces of the country, and all four representations are operating legally;

OSSREA’s Executive Secretary, Dr. Alfred G. Nhema; the Vice Chancellor of Eduardo Mondlane University, Professor Brazão Mazula; the Minister of Science and Technology, and the Deputy Minister of Health with participants in the 1^st National Workshop, Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo

Participants in the 2^nd National Workshop, ISPU-Higher Polytechnic Institute Quelimane, 28-29 September 2004

• OSSREA is linked to the most significant institutions of higher education; to ministries, such as Culture, Health, and Education, and to international forums as well as organisations alike, which deal with issues of education;

• Although the results are still not very satisfactory, Mozambique participated in the annual junior and senior scholars competitions for awards of research grants;

• Mozambique has won a Project-Grant for a major Regional Project on African Conflicts, and training grants for the improvement of research and teaching skills. This Project has been successfully accomplished in the beginning of 2005;

• The National Representation has also participated in significant activities accomplished by the civil society, such as the “Peace Initiative – 2003”, an activity that required nation-wide mobilization of people to participate in the celebrations of the peace agreement.

· National Workshops

The Mozambique Chapter has held two National Workshops. The first took place in Maputo, from 02 to 03 December 2003, under the title “Social Sciences and the Fight against Poverty in Mozambique.” Eighteen papers were presented at this forum while around 100 participants attended. The second National Workshop with the topic "Social Sciences in the Fight against Hiv/Aids in Mozambique," was held in Quelimane, 28-29 September 2004, and 14 papers were presented. This was also a very successfully workshop attended by 68 people, including representatives of the provincial government, six NGOs, the National Council of HIV/AIDS, academic community, civil society, and a large member of university students.

· National Student Competitions

The Chapter has held two national student competitions and awarded more than 20 Certificates of Participation and six related grants to the winners.

 ·Publications

The Mozambican Chapter has published a book titled Ciências Sociais na Luta Contra a Pobreza em Moçambique. This book is edited by Benigna Zimba and José Castiano, and contains results from the selections of the first and second conference proceedings that took place in 2003 and 2004, respectively.

Future Goals

Because of the fact that English, the official language of OSSREA, still remains a major constraint for Mozambique’s full participation in OSSREA events and academic competitions, in the future, the National Chapter aims to suggest that Portuguese be considered as one of OSSREA’s official languages.

OSSREA Rwanda Chapter

1. Background

The OSSREA Rwanda Chapter feels privileged to be part of the efforts of building capacities and promoting sustainable development in Rwanda.

Rwanda’s recent history is checkered and laced with a legacy of conflict and genocide. For a period of three months in 1994, the tiny Central African country witnessed the worst wrongful deaths and genocide the world had ever known. Up to 1 million people died in 100 days; the economy crumbled with GDP going down by 50%; one out of every three people became displaced, and researchers and lecturers were either killed or fled the country. The National University of Rwanda, by then the only university in the country, closed its gates and only reopened in 1995 with less than one third teaching and research capacity.

When the OSSREA Rwanda Chapter was started four years later, the country, as well as the University, was still in the reconstructing phase. The Chapter is proud of being one of the institutions that have contributed to the movement towards a developmental phase in Rwanda. However, the transition towards a more stable and peaceful country is still going on. The Chapter has still a lot of challenges to face and hurdles to overcome with regard to building research capacity and informing the search for sustainable development.

The majority of the members are from the National University of Rwanda, University Libre de Kigali, Universite Laique Adventiste de Kigali and Kigali Institute for Education. The Chapter also has members from the University of Technology and Agriculture of Kibungo, which is desirous of becoming an institutional member as soon as possible.

The Chapter membership has a total of about 60 members drawn from fields of economics, political science, education, statistics and demography, management, development, and environmental studies.

2. Mission

The mission of Rwanda Chapter of OSSREA is grounded in the objectives of OSSREA:

To encourage and promote interest in the study of and research in social sciences in Eastern and Southern Africa;

To promote collaborative research and facilities for scholarly exchanges and publications between individuals and institutions engaged in the study of and research in the social sciences;

To promote dialogue and interaction between social scientists and policy-makers with a view to enhancing the impact of research on policy-making and development planning; and

To promote the incorporation of findings of research into policy-making in the Rwanda.

Specifically in a national context the Chapter has been working:

To organize local academic activities of OSSREA members;

To extend membership to interested parties among Universities and higher institutions of learning;

To disseminate information on the activities of OSSREA and research findings in the region through every appropriate media; and

To conduct local meetings of OSSREA.

3. Recent Events

OSSREA Rwanda Chapter has done a lot as an institution and more through its members. However, the most notable activities and accomplishments of the year 2005 include the following:

Forming a New Executive Committee

Since 1999, the Rwanda Chapter has been functioning under a four-member Executive Committee, consisting:

Prof Emmanuel BUGINGO - Liaison Officer; Mr. Bernard N.RUTIKANGA - Deputy Liaison Officer; Mme Therese KAMPIRE - Finance Manager; and Mr. Ezechiel SENTAMA - Secretary.

On 13^th May, 2005 a new Executive Committee was elected and assumed office. The members of the new Executive Committee are: Dr. Herman MUSAHARA - Liaison Officer; Mrs. Sharon HABA - Deputy Liaison Officer; Mr. Pierre Claver RUTAYISIRE Finance Manager; and Mr. Joseph HAHIRWA – Secretary.

Old and new leadership of OSSREA Rwanda Chapter

National Workshop in 2005

The Chapter held its National Workshop from 26 - 27 August 2005. The papers presented were under the theme of Enhancing Multidisciplinary Development Research; Integrated ICT, Energy, Gender, Environment and Poverty Reduction Research in Rwanda.

Although the papers presented were diverse, the overarching wisdom was the considerable role the Chapter has been playing in the Rwandan post conflict context, and in multidisciplinary research and consultancy in Rwanda.

· PRS Assessment Workshop

Rwanda has, since May 2005, been participating in a six-country project on Assessing Poverty Reduction Strategies in Sub Saharan Africa. The Rwanda Case Study was conducted by Mr. Ernest RWAMUCYO, Director of Planning in the Ministry of Finance and the Director of PRSP in the country; Dr. Herman MUSAHARA an economist who later became the Liaison Officer of the Chapter, and Mr. Bernard

OSSREA Rwanda Chapter Members at a Workshop

RUTIKANGA a historian who has participated in the PRSP in Rwanda for several years.

The team presented their findings in the presence of Mr. Enamanachew YIMAMU, Senior Programme Officer at the OSSREA Headquarters; government representatives; the media; civil society, and members of faculty from the National University of Rwanda. The workshop was held at the Hotel Novotel Umubano, in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.

4. Major Research Projects

Major research projects and activities conducted by the OSSREA Rwanda Chapter since 2001 include the following:

· Workshop on Poverty Alleviation (2001);

· Seminar on Poverty and Gender (2001);

· Seminars on Research Methodology (2002, 2003);

· National workshop on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) (2002); and

· Workshop on PRS Assessment in SSA – The Case of Rwanda (2005).

Other Activities

· Poverty Relevance Test (PRT) for the I-PRSP poverty reduction policies (2001)

· Governance and Poverty Reduction (2002)

· Citizen Report Card on Registration Services (2004) for the Ministry of Local Government

· Editing of the African Peer Review Mechanism Report (for NEPAD) (2004)

- Citizen Report Card (CRC) and Community Score Card (CSC) on health and education sectors (2005)

5. Challenges

OSSREA Rwanda Chapter has faced a set of two interrelated challenges. Firstly, as a Chapter existing in a country that is in transition and evolving from a legacy of conflict, it has to play a proactive role in providing research results that are relevant to the needs of the Rwandan society. Although it has been engaged in research and consultancies related to poverty reduction and well being, the Chapter needs to show more results-oriented activities from its individual members and itself as an organization.

Secondly, the Chapter has still to consolidate itself in Rwanda and broaden its membership to other higher institutions of learning in Rwanda. The Chapter has also to accelerate the drive for capacity building in the Social Sciences so that the Chapter can participate fully in the regional activities taking place under the umbrella of OSSREA. Its vision is that the Chapter will play an important role in this phase when research capacities are starting to become critical after several years of focus on rehabilitation of the human resources afflicted by the violent conflict in the past. As one government official in Rwanda commented: ‘Rwanda Chapter has the potential of being the Think Tank of Rwanda in matters of policy if it continues to work harder and better’. Of course the Chapter’s survival has also depended on several other forms of support from OSSREA headquarters in Addis Ababa and colleagues in other Chapters in the region.

OSSREA SWAZILAND CHAPTER: 1998 - 2005

National Workshop

The Swaziland Chapter of OSSREA came into existence in 1989, and Prof. Bornwell Chikulu of the Department of Political and Administrative Studies was the first Liaison Officer. In December 1989, OSSREA sponsored an international workshop in Swaziland on the theme “Aspects of Agrarian History in Southern Africa”. Some of the papers presented at the workshop were published as a Special Issue of the Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review, Volume VI, no. 2 (June 1990) and Volume VII no. 1 (January 1991).

In the 1990s, the Swaziland OSSREA Chapter was an active participant in all of OSSREA’s Research Competitions, Workshops and Congresses. In April 1997 the first National Workshop was organised on the theme: “Symposium on Issues in The Economy and Politics of Swaziland Since 1968”. The papers presented at the workshop were later published under the title, “Issues in the Economy and Politics of Swaziland Since 1968”.

The Chapter held its second National Workshop in 2001 and the theme was: Poverty in Swaziland: Historical and Contemporary Forms, and the papers were published under the same title in 2004.

The 2003 National Workshop was held under the theme of “Constitutionalism”. A publication of the papers under the title Constitutional Development in Swaziland is forthcoming. The most recent National Workshop was held in 2004 on the theme, “Critical Issues in Multidisciplinary Research for National and Regional Development in 21^st Century Africa”.

Membership

Membership in the Chapter has grown steadily over the years, though, as can be expected, active membership has fluctuated from time to time. As of the present, membership stands at 26. A large number of these are faculty of the University of Swaziland while the rest are from the William Pitcher Teacher Training College, the Coordinating Assembly of Non-governmental Organisations (CANGO), the Women’s Resource Centre-Umtapo Wabomake, and Alliance of Mayors’ Initiative to Combat AIDS at Local Level (AMICALL). Over the past two years the Chapter has strengthened its drive to draw in membership from the NGO sector. One way of doing this was by inviting people from outside the University to participate in Chapter activities such as National Workshops and the Research Fair.

Achievements/Outputs

Since its inception, the Swaziland Chapter has held annual workshops as its main activity. Each workshop was held around a chosen theme or cluster of themes on which participants wrote and presented papers. So far, the following three books have been published by the Chapter:

Kanduza A.M. and S.T. Dupont-Mkhonza (eds.). 2003. Issues in the political economy of Swaziland Since 1968. (Manzini: Swaziland National Chapter, 2003);

Dupont-Mkhonza S. T., L. S. J. Mundia and J. N. Vilakati (eds.). 2003. Democracy, transformation, conflict and public policy in Swaziland; and

Kanduza, A. M. 2004. Poverty in Swaziland: Historical and contemporary forms.

New Activities

In addition to the annual workshops and holding of AGMs and Students’ Essay Competitions, the Chapter has introduced the Research Fair. This new activity was designed as another way of meeting OSSREA’s objective of dissemination of research outputs towards policy change and development. Another aim behind the Research Fair is to determine and generate a country-specific research agenda. This second purpose would be achieved through identifying the information gaps in relation to what the Chapter and the other research institutions in the country are doing. The Fair enabled the Chapter to consolidate its local networking relations with other research institutions.

The formation of a TASK TEAM for synthesising the recommendations of the AGM was also a new activity. The Task Team has already prioritised some activities which need to be done, such as:

· Compiling an inventory of national policies and identifying gaps in policy-making, and

· Drawing up a country-specific agenda on the basis of above.

Challenges and Lessons Learnt

One of the basic challenges to OSSREA’s undertaking at Chapter level is retention of active membership. Some members within the university constituency become inactive for a variety of reasons, one of which is pressure from competing demands on their time at their work stations. While research and publication remain the core business of university faculty, very often in small universities like the University of Swaziland, departments are short-staffed and overloaded with teaching such that engagement in research, by default, receives secondary attention. For example, the level of participation in OSSREA’s grant competitions is lower than what it ought to be. Very often, the national committee’s role in getting people interested cannot go beyond publishing the announcement for Grants.

In the past, the Chapter used to combine the National Workshop with the AGM, with the latter taking place in the afternoon of the second day following one and a half days of paper presentations and discussion. However, last year with the introduction of the Research Fair, the Chapter held these events on separate dates. The AGM was convened as a stand-alone activity wholly devoted to publicising the work of the Chapter to potential members and to brainstorm on innovative ideas for future work of the Chapter. The AGM was given a theme, Strengthening the Interface Between Research and Policy-Making in Swaziland. This approach yielded fruit as it led to the formation of a collaborative relationship between the Chapter and AMICALL, and the Liaison Officer was nominated to the Technical Advisory Committee of AMICALL. Following that, the Chapter is to engage in collaborative research activities with AMICALL on issues of HIV and AIDS. The Chapter has also been introduced to a broad-based stakeholders’ constituency which meets once a month to discuss issues of HIV and AIDS.

By inviting a cabinet minister to officiate at the Research Fair and the AGM respectively, the Chapter was able to make a start towards enlisting government support for OSSREA’s work. Both the Minister of Finance (who officiated at the Research Fair) and the Deputy Prime Minister (who gave a keynote address at the AGM) commended OSSREA’s activities. The Deputy Prime Minister reiterated the importance of conducting policy-relevant research. He also joined as an honorary member.

What has come out of this is that the Chapter has realised that there is much that can be done at Chapter level to expand on the Chapter’s activities. There is a huge challenge for the Chapter to develop its internal mechanism of self-evaluation and monitoring.

Future Plans

The OSSREA Swaziland Chapter plans to consolidate its collaborative relationship with the NGO and Government sectors in the country. This would help to identify areas of research that would lead to a formulation of policies. One dream that the Chapter has is to institutionalise the Research Fair and turn it into an annual event as a way of effective dissemination of research outputs. The OSSREA Swaziland Chapter would like to thank the OSSREA Secretariat for providing guidance which came through the structures of the Liaison Officers’ meetings and correspondence with various offices.

OSSREA Tanzania Chapter: 1986-2005

1. Introduction

When the Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern Africa (OSSREA) was founded on 13^th April 1980, Tanzania was one of its founding members. Among the 23 scholars who signed the “Declaration of Founding of OSSREA”, five were Tanzanians from the University of Dar es Salaam.

However, in Tanzania itself OSSREA was officially established at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) on 21 August 1986, (i.e. almost six years after the founding of the Organisation). The late Dr. Jeanette Hartmann (of the Department of Sociology) was appointed the first Country Representative (Liaison Officer). The second Liaison Officer was the late Prof. Andrew Kiondo (Department of Political Science and Public Administration), appointed on July 15^th, 1990 and served until August 5^th, 1994 when Prof. Stephen Kapunda (Department of Economics) was democratically elected in line with the November 1993 recommendation of OSSREA Executive Committee. Prof. Stephen Kapunda served until 27^th August 1999, an election that brought in the current Liaison Officer, Dr. Yared M. Kihore.

At the establishment of OSSREA at the University of Dar es Salaam, the following were set as main objectives:

To encourage and promote interest in Social Science;

To mobilize and persuade individuals and institutions to join OSSREA;

To encourage members and those interested in OSSREA and other Social Science competitions to participate fully;

To encourage members to publish in OSSREA and other research organisations journals and books; and

To work in close co-operation with other individuals and institutions in Tanzania and elsewhere where the study of social science is promoted.

2. OSSREA Activities at the Chapter

The main OSSREA activities at the University of Dar es Salaam since its establishment are as follows:

The first locally organised OSSREA workshop took place on 29^th June 1995 (i.e. almost nine years after the organisation’s establishment at the University of Dar es Salaam). The main theme of that workshop was “Improving the Standard of Social Science Research During Structural Adjustment Period: The Case of Tanzania”. Although the records of its attendance are not available, there is a document showing that, at least twenty people were invited to the workshop.

The second workshop under the theme of “Poverty Alleviation in Tanzania” was held on 17^th April 1997 and coincided with the 10^th Anniversary of OSSREA at UDSM, which had been postponed from August 1996. This workshop was attended by 41 participants, and like its predecessor, saw the presentation of five papers.

On 26 February 1999, OSSREA at UDSM organised its third workshop under the theme “Development Issues and Structural Adjustment in Tanzania”. In this workshop also, five papers were presented and a total of 41 people participated.

Each of these workshops was a one-day event attended by a good number of participants who were not members of the organisation and never tried to become members later. Normally, such functions are taken as occasions for recruiting new members. We do not know where to lay the blame on this matter, but it could be an indication that the Liaison Officers and their teams did not successfully implement the organisation’s second objective, which is “to mobilise and persuade individuals… to join OSSREA”.

The 4^th National Workshop, which had been planned for 2001, was later held from 12-13 February 2002. The theme of this workshop was “Poverty Reduction Initiatives in Tanzania: The State of Arts, Challenges and Opportunities”. In this workshop eighteen papers were presented and the attendance was about fifty people. The 5^th National Workshop was held from 14 to 15 August 2003 under the theme, “Rethinking Globalisation: The Stakes and Perspectives for Africa”. Here fifteen papers were presented and the attendance was also about fifty. The 6^th National Workshop with the theme “Sustainable Development and Environment: Some Emerging Issues and Responses” was held on 16-17 December 2004. In this workshop twelve papers were presented and 46 people attended.

It is worth noting here that from 2002 onwards, the workshops had become a 2-day event and the participation in this activity now involved a number of universities and institutions which were newly formed.

The objectives in (a), (b) and (c) above are mainly aimed at obtaining more regular members of OSSREA at Chapter level. The OSSREA Tanzania country report in 1997 indicated that OSSREA had eight institution members, namely Faculties of Arts and Social Sciences, Commerce and Management, Education and Law, and Institutes of Development Studies (IDS), Kiswahili (IKR) and Resource Assessment (IRA), and The Library. The report showed the size of individual membership to have been thirty. However, in another report to the Liaison Officers’ Meeting in 1999, it is mentioned that OSSREA Tanzania “had 30 individual members, of whom only 15 were active and 6 active institution members”.

In inviting members to the 4^th National Workshop we used the list referred above to invite participants to that workshop, in addition to other individuals whom we knew to have participated in various OSSREA activities – which obliges one to become a member. This brought the number of individual membership close to sixty. A request was made to all those who attended the 4^th Workshop to become members or update their membership

The institution membership, on the other hand, has stood at ten since 2002. This includes those institutions listed above, together with Economic Research Bureau (ERB) and Economic and Social Research Foundation (ESRF). Among them nine are University of Dar es Salaam institutions and one independent institution located in Dar es Salaam. We are currently processing the membership application of WRDP, a women research organization.

As we indicated in section (1) above, a good number of Tanzanians have participated and are continuing to participate in various OSSREA activities. OSSREA Tanzania report of 1997 carries lists of Tanzanians who have participated in OSSREA’s workshops and congresses; those who have served as members of OSSREA Executive Committee; those who have published in OSSREA Research Report Series and in its other publications and those who have participated in and won OSSREA’s Research Competitions. There have been more such people since the publication of the report in 1997. We need, however to highlight our position in the Executive Committee. In this Committee, Prof. W. Mlay, a Tanzanian, served as OSSREA President (1986 – 1993) and was awarded for exemplary service during OSSREA 20^th Anniversary celebration in Dar es Salaam in 2000. Two other Tanzanians, Prof. P. Mlama and Prof. A. Ishumi have served as members of the Executive Committee.

OSSREA Participates in the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF)

OSSREA has participated in the Zimbabwe International Book Fair (ZIBF) 2005 that was held from 31^st July to 6^th August 2005. This year, the Book Fair attracted exhibitors, participants and traders from various countries. During the Book Fair, OSSREA also participated in the Indaba 2005. The Indaba is an international conference where topical issues on social developments in society and the African book publishing industry are debated. The theme of Indaba 2005, “African Rights”, has attracted much interest from professors and scholars of Africa. Some of the main areas of discussion were centred on: Human Rights from an African Perspective; Social Rights versus Individual Rights; Intellectual Rights and Copyright Laws; and African Nationalism, Democracy and Human Rights. At the Indaba, special interest groups discussed various issues pertaining to African Rights, such as Language Rights, and Gender and Rights. Leading academics on these topics attended the Indaba.

OSSREA’s participation at the 2005 Book Fair was a very successful one by all standards. At the Fair, 179 copies of different publications were sold and orders for many copies of different publications secured. OSSREA also publicized itself through brochures, the OSSREA Bulletin and Publication Catalogues. Many business and professional communities visited the OSSREA’s stand.

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