Milestone Moments: Celebrating 15 Years of TGCL and Fostering Fresh Collaborations

The Tanzanian-German Centre for Eastern African Legal Studies (TGCL) provides structured and highly specialised LLM and PhD programmes on regional integration law to aspiring lawyers and law students from all partner states of the East African Community (EAC). Gaining a solid understanding of the theory and practice of East African Community Law and regional integration, students graduate with the qualifications to assume academic and professional leadership positions in national, regional or international institutions and are trained as future decision-makers who will contribute to legal, political and economic development in East Africa. TGCL was established at the School of Law of the University of Dar es Salaam in 2008. It is a joint project of the Universities of Bayreuth and Dar es Salaam. The TGCL is one of several centres of excellence established in Africa under the programme “African Excellence – Fachzentren in Afrika”, funded by the German Foreign Office through the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

Today, TGCL is proud to have students and researchers hailing from all seven Partner States of the East African Community - Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. More than 200 talented Master and PhD students have passed through the Centres’ doors, each being groomed to become future decision makers and change agents. The dedicated TGCL Alumni have assumed significant leadership positions on a national, regional, and international level, contributing significantly to the progress and development of the region, such as Ambassador or Principal Judge of the High Court.

In addition, it should be mentioned, that TGCL has also focussed on its vital and unique research component. For example, the many workshops and conferences over the past 15 years have resulted in 13 published books. Additionally, TGCL has set up a remarkable and unique library consisting of a collection of over 2000 books as well as student research papers, particularly on regional integration law, covering topics such as human rights, constitutional law, intellectual property, environmental protection, transitional justice, migration and capital mobility, to name just a few.

Further information about the TGCL is available on the following website: https://www.tgcl.uni-bayreuth.de/en/index.html

From 25 to 27 October 2023, a workshop, funded by DAAD, was held to celebrate the 15-year anniversary. The event kicked off with welcoming speeches from Prof. Thoko Kaime, the TGCL Project Leader from the University of Bayreuth; Dr. Materu, Dean of the School of Law at the University of Dar es Salaam; Prof. Nestler, Vice-President for Internationalization, Equal Opportunities, and Diversity at the University of Bayreuth; and Prof. Rutinwa, Deputy Vice Chancellor Academic at the University of Dar es Salaam. Following this, the workshop delved into a comprehensive exploration of past milestones and achievements, offering a reflective look at the journey thus far. Afterwards, the programme continued by bestowing Awards of Honor upon deserving individuals from the University of Dar es Salaam and the University of Bayreuth.

Afterward, the program delved into research presentations, discussing diverse and pressing topics, spanning historical aspects such as the foundation of the Regional Economic Community to contemporary issues like political federation, constitutionalism, labor, capital, and human mobility within the EAC. The workshop also reevaluated the EAC's foundational principles and the preliminary rulings of the EACJ. An insightful discussion on the "EAC Milestones" illuminated the path forward. Finally, the legacy and future prospects of TGCL were a central theme of the panel discussions. Overall, the Workshop was not only an academic success but also provided the space for personal exchanges between many Alumni, the TGCL team, and partners of TGCL.

With this 15-year anniversary, the financial support of DAAD will end. The Centre expresses its heartfelt gratitude to DAAD for their unwavering support throughout the years. Their encouragement has been instrumental in the journey thus far. As TGCL continues its journey, we are also delighted to announce a new partnership with the Hanns Seidel Foundation, which will fund six scholarships from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania for the Cohort 2023/2024, with the perspective of a longer-term cooperation.

The Hanns-Seidel Foundation has been engaging in collaborations both nationally and internationally for nearly 50 years and supports around 90 projects in 75 countries around the world, 16 of which are in Africa. The Foundation's East Africa regional project is based in Tanzania and aims to help promote democracy and good governance in East Africa and to strengthen civil society to enable greater citizen participation in democratic processes. Through its work in African countries, the Foundation primarily aims to contribute to improving living conditions, combating the causes of migration and contributing to sustainable development by strengthening peace and democracy. To this end, together with its partners, it carries out projects in the fields of policy consultancy and political education.

The support of the Hanns-Seidel Stiftung holds great promise for Eastern Africa's legal landscape. With the support of the foundation, TGCL can continue educating future leaders in East Africa. TGCL is eager to embrace this new phase is confident in making even greater strides in the pursuit of excellence in legal education and research.