Four ZEF doctoral students from Africa shared joy and pride about their achievement: Receiving their doctoral degrees.

These four new doctors are: Damas Philip from Tanzania, Joy Kiiru and John Muo Kasina from Kenya and Benjamin Kofi Nyarko from Ghana.

Damas Philip did his PhD thesis on "Biofuels production on poverty alleviation among small-scale farmers in Tanzania". Joy Kiiru did her doctoral research on "The impact of microfinance on rural poor households' income and vulnerability to poverty in Makueni, Kenya", whereas John Muo Kasina did his PhD study on "Bee pollinators and the economic importance of pollination in crop production in Western Kenya". Benjamin Kofi Nyarko was a member of the GLOWA Volta project team and conducted his research on "Floodplains wetland - rivers flow synergy in the White Volta Basin in Ghana".

We asked our up-and-coming leading generation about their experiences and future plans:

Damas Philip from Tanzania:
"I had several impressive experiences during my three years stay at ZEF. Among my best experiences at ZEF is the interdisciplinary learning environment. This was in the beginning a bit of a surprise to me, but after getting used to it and knowing what it is all about I came to recognize what I was missing by having a 'fixed' focus on my area of specialisation. This is one of the main things that I will take with me when I go back to my University in Tanzania. I was also very impressed by the weekend intercultural seminars which helped me to have a better understanding on how to interact with people from different cultural backgrounds. There were many impressive experiences, but these two were the best. After spending three years at ZEF examining the feasibility of producing biofuels and the potential contribution of ethanol and biodiesel production on poverty alleviation among small-scale farmers in Tanzania, the next step is to see how my theoretical work can be put into practice. I will be working on that as part of my day to day activities at the Sokoine University of Agriculture in Morogoro, Tanzania."

Joy Kiiru from Kenya:
"My best experiences in ZEF were first and foremost the intercultural seminars. I experienced that at ZEF there are enough resources to carry out research and it was easy to find information even for students who spoke limited German like me. Tutorship here at ZEF is a very good experience for doctoral students to remain focussed and well grounded in their issue of research. It is a special experience for ZEF doctoral students considering that not many doctoral students from other institutions benefit from this great resource. On my future plans: I plan to take up a six months internship with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) In Geneva early next year. Afterwards I will go back to the University of Nairobi, Kenya, where I have been teaching economics. Overall I hope to grow in research and scholarly capabilities."

John Muo Kasina from Kenya:
"It has been a great pleasure to be at ZEF. The kind of research done here is unique in that, there is interaction, understanding and appreciation of different academic disciplines. This was especially important to me as I was involved in interdisciplinary research. The international nature of ZEF, both at student and staff level was also quite an experience for me. I was also impressed by experiences of different cultures. My future plan is to continue with what I have been doing, and that is research. Bees play a significant role in our livelihood, and I intend to continue working on bees, and expose their usefulness to society. Although currently I have no employment, I look forward to work in research oriented institutions."

Benjamin Kofi Nyarko from Ghana:
"My most impressive experience during my stay at ZEF was trying to catch and assimilate to the concept of inter-disciplinary during the first three months. The other was the inter-cultural seminar where I was made to understand how to co-exist with colleagues with different cultural backgrounds. I did enjoy the occasional parties and sports such as badminton that gave me the opportunity to break from serious academic work and to interact with colleagues.
As for my future plans, I have an appointment with the Department of Geography and Tourism, University of Cape Coast, Ghana. However, I would like to continue my research on floodplain wetland synergy in the Volta Basin, and attempt to extend the research to coastal wetland zones."