28. July 2026

About the long-term value of short-term education: Our alumni speak About the long-term value of short-term education: Our alumni speak

German government's cuts in international educational programs affect long-standing partnerships and individual fates

ZEF is among the institutions severely affected by budget cuts in development-related training programs and university partnerships by the German government.

Read more about the background of the cuts and why and how ZEF is affected on our website here. 

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Networking works! - Scene of the UNFCC COP 26 held in Glasgow, UK, 2021 © Sara Velander
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Our alumni: last generation?

Roughly half of ZEF's doctoral alumni have received funding over the past 30 years through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD EPOS), one of the programs affected by the cuts. Many of these alumni have taken on leading positions in government administration or universities in their home countries or in international development or research organizations.

We asked them to share their stories of how their doctoral education at ZEF has impacted their careers, their lives and their countries added by their take on the value of international graduate and partnership programs.

  • Dr. Ildephonse Musafiri (Rwanda). He is a former Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources and Special Advisor to the CEO of African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Rwanda. 

  • Dr. Rapti Siriwardane-de Zoysa (Sri Lanka). She is a Research Group Lead at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and the Bonn Center for Dependency and Slavery Studies, University of Bonn, Germany.

  • Prof. Dr. Felix Ankomah Asante (Ghana). He is Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development at the University of Ghana.

  • Dr. Seid Nuru Ali (Ethiopia). He is a Technical Advisor to the President of Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia.

  • Dr. Denise Margaret Matias (Philippines). She is a Professor in Ecosystem-based Transformation Management in UNESCO Biosphere Reserves, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Germany.

  • Dr. Rythia Afkar (Indonesia). She is an Economist at the World Bank, Washington DC, USA.

presse.zef@uni-bonn.de