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TaGEI came into being following the low profile of Tanzania within Erasmus+ opportunities, which was linked to a knowledge and information gap.

The project was centred on the capacity-building of Tanzanian youth and university students with respect to Erasmus+ opportunities and environmental actions, as well as informing about partner institutions and contact agencies and persons, including EMA-Tanzania. It was run from July to September 2022, involving the top three Tanzanian universities: the University of Dar es Salaam, Sokoine University of Agriculture, and University of Dodoma.  

Participants were trained through Erasmus Mundus Scholarships — Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degrees (EMJMDs) and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions (MSCAs) — and the application procedure, pre-requisites, application timeline, and all the required information was provided. The overall focus was thus to widen the scope of Erasmus+ opportunities in Tanzania and to widen participation. At the end, more than 10 candidates had immediately started to make applications to the respective MJMDs open for applications, while others started preparing their applications for when they open. 2 candidates were interested in PhD applications under the MSCAs, while others were interested in the exchange programmes (summer and winter schools).

The organisations involved in the project included the Erasmus Mundus Association-Tanzania (EMAT) and the Tanzanian Youth Biodiversity Network (TYBN) as a partner. Other organisations were involved as ground implementation partners, including the Association of Geographers and Environmental Managers (AGEM), My Birthday Tree Campaign, and the Environmental Watch Association of Tanzania (EWAT).

As part of the outreach during the project implementation, physical events were organised in three regions: Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, and Tanzania. More than 200 participants were reached during the physical events. Simultaneously, promotion and outreach campaigns were conducted through social media posts and direct consultation.

The project objectives were all fulfilled via trainings and capacity-building activities. This was accomplished with the aid of local ground collaborators and the EMAT Country Representatives.

The project interventions helped to widen the scope of Erasmus+ opportunities by facilitating the procession of the application process and the drafting of successful motivation letters, CVs, and other supportive documents. The project beneficiaries were trained and guided through the process and linked to appropriate sources of information and relevant institutions. Youth capacity-building was also carried out with regards to environmental protection and conservation, with more emphasis on exploring and making use of opportunities available within environmental conservation practices.

Antidius Raphael