Seagrass contributes to the conservation of Zanzibar’s biggest tourist attractions: the pristine beaches and the clear water. The marine plants act as barriers to the waves and reduce the erosion on the coastline while helping to clean polluted water from land. Thousands of marine species depend on seagrass for their survival. But seagrass is endangered by pollution and climate change. Researcher Idrissa Yusef Ahmed is trying to find solutions to this marine health challenge by using drone technology to map Zanzibar’s seagrass.

For more than a decade, the research capacity development programme ‘Building Stronger Universities’ has strengthened higher education institutions in Tanzania, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and Nepal. This podcast series zooms in on and explores the story, experiences and results of the partnership between Danish universities and the State University of Zanzibar.

• Episode 1: Building a stronger university (24 min)
• Episode 2: Fatma and the mosquitos (11:30 min)
• Episode 3: Biubwa and the food waste (09:30 min)
• Episode 4: Aziza and the plastic waste (06:30 min)
• Episode 5: Idrissa and the seagrass (10:00 min)
• Episode 6: Women in academia (11:30 min)

Host: Morten Mechlenborg Nørulf, University of Copenhagen’s School of Global Health

Editing technician: Christian Grimes Schmidt, University of Copenhagen’s Centre for Online and Blended Learning

‘Building Stronger Universities’ is produced by University of Copenhagen’s School of Global Health and Centre for Online and Blended Learning. The podcast is funded by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark.