A number of consultations have been held on the design of a new Development Studies masters course. This will be a fully online taught masters and is targeted for launching in 2024. 
On 18th August 2022 a consultation was held, online of course, with development sector stakeholders. These came from local as well as international civil society, multilateral agencies, funders and academics. The participants also spanned five different countries. On 24th August another consultation was held with existing UP development studies students from Honours to PhD level. 

The discussions focussed on what the core content of such a course should be and who would be the targeted students. Participants argued for a distinctly African focus in terms of content and participants, without overlooking lessons that can also be learning from elsewhere. The course needs to equip African development professionals and activists with the knowledge and tools to address the most pressing development challenges of our times. Stakeholders shared experiences from other development studies programmes and the needs of their current development work. Students shared their perspective on what would be most useful to equip them for the development sector.

There was enthusiasm for the proposed course; as Jean Du Plessis from UN Habitat said, “it is fantastic that you are doing this”. The opportunities it could provide for people from across Africa and beyond to study was appreciated along with the flexible module structure that is proposed. There was also endorsement for an African centric approach to challenge the dominance of western thinking in development studies and bring new ideas to the sector at a time where development gains made, such as reducing poverty and hunger, are under threat.

We now proceed with the course development, considering the inputs received, and preparing the required documents for approval within the university and the national regulatory bodies. For more information you can contact Marc Wegerif, the Development Studies Programme Coordinator.