“Together for Hungarian-African International Development: Networking, Platform Creation and Awareness Raising” project started in November 2023. In this context, the HU-MAN (Hungarian Multisectoral Africa Network) network has indeed begun to operate with the involvement of the civil secotr, decision-makers, economic and other international development stakeholders in order to facilitate the development of multisectoral dialogue and effective international development strategies.
The first meeting took place on 13 February 2024, where 16 organisations took part in the dialogue. The African Research Institute was represented by Prof. Dr. János Besenyő on behalf of Óbuda University.
For 2024, HU-MAN members envisaged further meetings to strengthen cooperation and concretise the objectives. The results will be presented on the International Development and Education Day of the ‘Hungary-Africa Week 2’, between 14-20 October 2024.
The program series was co-financed by the European Union.
For further information, please click on the link below:
Papers will be published in a special JCEEAS issue. Additionally, some papers may appear in the International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence.
As part of the Hungary Helps program, the Hungarian government is opening a humanitarian and development center in the capital of Chad. M1 hosted Béla Szilágyi, president of the Hungarian Baptist Aid and instructor of the Humanitarian Response Manager (HRM) course at Óbuda University, who talked about his experiences and the mission itself, which can be viewed by clicking on the following link:
Chad is located in the Sahel region, also known as the hunger belt of Africa, and is currently perhaps one of the most important states in the region when it comes to stability and security. The conflicts and civil wars raging for many years in the neighboring countries – the Central African Republic, Sudan and Libya – as well as the presence and activity of Boko Haram in Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria have left their mark on the lives of the local communities. Many people fled from the fighting in the region to Chad, which puts an additional burden on the country. Based on the decision of the Hungarian government, a humanitarian and development center will be opened in N’Djamena, the capital of Chad, as part of the Hungary Helps Program.
Assistance was provided, among others, in the field of health assessment and task implementation, as well as humanitarian professional training. The latter was carried out by professionals, including the colleauges of the Africa Research Institute. In addition to the training courses, the participants in the educational mission visited refugee camps for consultation purposes, and also provided assistance during medical care.
Thank you for the work of our employees, colleagues and volunteers!
The report of the Hungarian Baptist Aid can be read on its website:
Three weeks ago, the staff of the Óbuda University’s Africa Research Institute returned from Chad, Central Africa where they taught local humanitarian workers as part of the Institute’s Humanitarian Response Manager (HMR) training course. Dr. Dávid Vogel, deputy head of the Research Institute and senior researcher, was one of the participants of the mission, and shared his experiences. The interview with him is available by clicking on the following link:
On Monday, the Parliament made a decision and accepted the legal basis for the deployment of the Hungarian Defense Forces in Chad. According to this, a military mission can be launched in the Central African region. ATV Egyenes Beszéd (Straight Talk) hosted Prof. János Besenyő, head of the Africa Research Institute, and Dr. Dávid Vogel, deputy head of the Africa Research Institute and senior researcher. The discussion is available by clicking on the following link:
Prof. János Besenyő, head of the African Research Institute, Dr. Dávid Vogel, deputy head of the Institute, as well as Béla Szilágyi, lecturer at Óbuda University and president of the Hungarian Baptist Aid, were guests of Hit Radio. The participants spoke about the Humanitarian Response Manager (HRM) specialised training course as a unique opportunity in the region taught within the framework of the University of Óbuda, as well as the humanitarian mission in Chad.
Two new institutional units will start operating within the Africa Research Institute at the Bánki Donát Faculty of Mechanical and Safety Engineering: an African Studies Library and a lecture hall. The library, named after Dr. Géza Füssi Nagy, one of the most prominent Africanists, linguists and literary translators of the 20th century, and the lecture hall, named after Prof. Toyin Falola, Nigerian historian and professor of African Studies, were inaugurated by Prof. Zoltán Rajnai, Dean of the Faculty.
The head of the Africa Research Institute, Prof. Dr. János Besenyő, and the children of the eponym, Szabolcs Füssi Nagy and Anna Orsolya Füssi Nagy, welcomed the guests and presented the activities of the Africa Research Institute, the Library and the circumstances of its establishment, and last but not least the life and work of the eponym. Among the participants were some Members of the Honorary Consular Corps; researchers; His Excellency Abdelhafid Alahoum, Ambassador of Algeria; His Excellency Abdelkarim Hermi, Ambassador of Tunisia; First Secretary Salma Ait Belhadj, from the Embassy of Morocco; and Chargé d’Affaires Ernesto Pedro Ganga, from the Embassy of Angola. In addition, the inauguration ceremony was also attended by several national educational and cultural institutions, as well as by organisations working on the African continent.
The library has around 6000 books and journal periodicals on Africa. Thanks to the staff of the Institute, this number is constantly growing. The library is free of charge not only for the University of Óbuda, but also for teachers and students of other higher education institutions. In addition, the new lecture hall is used for providing training courses such as the English-language postgraduate training course of the Human Response Manager (HRP), run by the faculty and the Research Institute. The library as well as the lecture hall will significantly support the work not only of the Africa Research Institute but also of the Bánki Faculty.
*The Research Institute is characterised by a highly diversified, interdisciplinary approach to its research, with a special focus on security studies, military science, history, international and development studies, political science and regional studies, to mention a few. In addition to the wide range of research topics, four permanent research groups are active: Conflict and Terrorism, Global South, Migration and Sustainable Africa.
The original post in Hungarian is available on the University’s website by clicking on the link below:
Following a government request, the lecturers of the Bánki Donát Mechanical and Safety Engineering Faculty of Óbuda University’s Humanitarian Response Manager, a one-year post-graduate course in English which has been successfully launched for three years now, visited Chad to provide education as part of a broader humanitarian assistance project.
Dr. Dávid Vogel, one of the trainers of the course led by Prof. Dr. János Besenyő PhD., spoke about the project.
How did this humanitarian programme come about?
The Hungarian government made a decision to provide humanitarian support to Chad, supported through the Hungary Helps Agency, so it was essentially thanks to them that the programme could be realised.
How did you get involved in the Chad mission?
At the University of Óbuda, the Africa Research Institute is based at the Bánki Donát Faculty of Mechanical and Safety Engineering, which was founded in 2019 by Prof. Dr. János Besenyő. Currently, there are more than 60 scholars from all over the world who are committed to publish, attend conferences and conduct research under the auspices of this research institute. Actually, I am a senior research fellow of the institute. Several researchers are also actively involved in the Humanitarian Response Manager (HRM) postgraduate course, thus based on the government’s request we were also selected to be part of the project.
Is this the same training that you have done in Chad?
It was part of our Humanitarian Response Manager training course. However, we have also included, for example, an agricultural panel. We have tried to make educational activities more practice-oriented and we would like to continue to provide more personalised training, building on the foundations of our HRM course. Actually, it is more of a mentoring from a certain point of view.
In what field can students who complete the course find a job?
It is important to underline that the “students” in Chad are local camp leaders, from whom we ourselves have learned a lot, as they are also humanitarian professionals. The course covers the whole spectrum of humanitarian operations: international law, security issues, camp construction and organisation, civil-military relations, negotiation techniques and so on. The curriculum is extremely complex and, in addition to theoretical knowledge, there is a strong emphasis on practical training. Graduates can find jobs in humanitarian fields with this degree.
How many people could take part in the course?
Twenty-seven people applied. This number shows that there is a need for such a training, also in this part of the world far from Europe.
What was the biggest challenge for you?
There were 140 contact meetings with lectures and practical activities. We had to cram them into 2 weeks, starting early in the morning and running late into the evening. It was tough enough, but for the “students” absorbing such a great and almost completely new material was no small task either. Another challenge was the language difference. I mean that although we held the classes in English – as the accreditation was for English language training – most people in Chad speak French, so the classes were conducted with the help of English-French interpreters. This slowed down progress in certain cases.
In such difficult circumstances, how is the training structured?
We have devised a system of 3 modules: the first is the contact hours, the second is the writing of a thesis, and the third is the final exam and thesis defense. By absolving all modules, “students” can recieve tha same diploma as those who complete the course in Hungary.
What was the return on your assistance?
Perhaps the most important is that by gaining the knowledge and the diploma, the students who have completed the course – with this qualification – have the chance and opportunity to get jobs and build a career. I honestly hope they will succeed. And for us, it was an important confirmation that we were able to deal with such tasks in difficult circumstances. It is a positive feedback for both the trainers and the university that we are able to make such a course a success on the other side of the world.
What are your personal feelings about the mission as a whole?
We have experienced a lot during the first phase and we will try to correct any mistakes so that we can make the next cycle even more flexible and efficient. Personally, I am looking forward to get involved in the organisation of the next course that will scheduled for November, and I can see that my colleagues are enthusiastic to take part too. It’s a good team, for a good cause, and it’s recharging.
The original post in Hungarian is available on the University’s website by clicking on the link below:
Thanks to the donation of the Algerian Ambassador ALAHOUM Abdelhafid, the Africa Research Institute at the Bánki Donát Faculty of Mechanical and Safety Engineering, Óbuda University, has received 120 books on Algeria and the Maghreb region in English, French and Arabic. Professor János Besenyő, Head of the Research Institute, received the donated books at the Embassy and all of them will be placed in the Géza Füssy-Nagy Library and Research Room of the Institute, which will be formally opened in the near future. The library, which was established in 2023, now contains nearly 6,000 books and journal volumes on Africa. The Ambassador was informed about the activities of the Africa Research Institute and the library from Algerian students at Óbuda University and he directly contacted the University with his generous offer. After a brief discussion, the volumes were handed over.
Recently, several military coups occured in African countries, many of which have been successful. In this context, some experts have predicted a rise in Russian interests, a decline in French influence, a shift in regional power relations and increased instability. The Head of the Africa Research Institute, Prof. Dr. János Besenyő, has recently discussed such interesting issues (the interview is available by clicking on the link below).
“It is not only East and West that are in conflict, but also Islam and Christianity. In other words, cultures, religions and other interests are clashing in the Sahel […] The Russians, especially in the light of the Russo-Ukrainian war, cannot provide the same level of material and military support.” (extract from the article)
