Akiiki Babyesiza’s entry into the field of higher education management and higher education development in Africa was an internship in 2003 – after completing her studies in African Studies – at the branch office of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) in Nairobi, Kenya.
After working for the DAAD’s newly formed department for Development Cooperation in Bonn, she began her studies in the international Master’s programme “Higher Education” (MAHE) at the International Centre for Higher Education Research Kassel, University of Kassel (INCHER-Kassel). This was her entry into the field of higher education research. After two years of study, she switched to doctoral studies to research university governance in post-conflict Sudan. During her doctoral studies she worked as a student assistant in the university administration (International Office, International Centre for Development and Decent Work) and as a research assistant in international comparative higher education research at the University of Kassel. She completed her doctorate in sociology (higher education research) in 2013 and published her dissertation in 2015 with the title “University Governance in (Post-) Conflict Southern Sudan 2005-2011: The Nexus of Islamism, New Public Management and Neopatrimonialism”.
Since then, she has conducted higher education research and consulting projects for public and private sector organsations and uses her expertise to strategically support sustainable higher education development in Eastern Africa.