Bridging Higher Education, Dual Training, and the Cooperative Sector

With support from the GESTE Foundation, a university cooperation was established between the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) and ISCO – Institut Supérieur du Commerce of the University of Burundi, bringing together higher education, dual vocational training, and the cooperative sector. The project aims to improve the professional qualification of young people in Burundi while strengthening the cooperative sector through practice-oriented academic programs. The project is embedded in the state partnership between Baden-Württemberg and Burundi (AMAHORO! State Partnership), coordinated by the Foundation for Development Cooperation (SEZ) together with the State Ministry of Baden-Württemberg, which has now existed for over 40 years.

Although Burundi has a growing network of cooperatives, it urgently needs specialized professionals to develop them sustainably. At the same time, there is a great need at universities for practice-oriented study programs that prepare young people specifically for the labor market and self-employment.

Through the project, the "Community Development" department at ISCO – the Business Institute of the University of Burundi – is being further developed both in content and organization to strengthen training in the cooperative sector. In addition, a practice-oriented university education modeled on the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University is being established, systematically combining theoretical and practical phases so that students are integrated into cooperative enterprises early on. The project also aims to promote international and regional exchange and to generate new impulses for teaching, research, and innovation.