Interinstitutional Academic Partnerships

Partnership with African Universities

Cooperation between the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) and African academic institutions, particularly the University of Cape Verde (UniCV), follows a different rationale from partnerships traditionally established with developed countries. It is an initiative grounded in academic solidarity and a commitment to training highly qualified human resources in the African continent. This approach aligns with Brazil’s internationalization policy, especially within Portuguese-speaking countries, and was made possible through programs such as Pró-África (CNPq) and the CAPES/AULP Program (Association of Portuguese-Speaking Universities).

UFC’s involvement with Cape Verde formally began in 2006, with the signing of a technical and scientific cooperation agreement between the university and the Alexandre de Gusmão Foundation, aimed at creating the Brazil/Cape Verde Studies Center. In 2007, the Graduate Program in Geography at UFC joined this cooperation framework by implementing the project Socio-environmental Analysis of Degraded Areas in Cape Verde, coordinated by Prof. Vládia Pinto Vidal. The project sought to foster scientific collaboration and encourage UFC students to develop research focused on Cape Verdean realities.

From 2013 onwards, the Graduate Programs in Geography and in Development and Environment (PRODEMA) formalized agreements with UniCV, further strengthening institutional ties. Prof. Vládia Pinto Vidal played a central role in consolidating this cooperation, engaging in multiple academic and cultural activities in Cape Verde, including participation in the Ceará Cultural Delegation at the Ceará Book Fair in Cape Verde (2011) and in academic exchange committees.

In 2014, with CAPES/AULP support, a Master’s Program in Development and Environment was launched in partnership between UFC and UniCV. The program aimed to provide high-level interdisciplinary training in Cape Verde through faculty and student mobility. UFC professors such as Elisa Zanella and Jader Santos taught courses in person in Cape Verde, while also conducting academic advising both locally and at UFC in Brazil.

The exchange program included postdoctoral fellowships for faculty, undergraduate sandwich scholarships for Brazilian and Cape Verdean students, and master’s sandwich fellowships for Cape Verdean students. In 2015, professors Elisa Zanella and Jader Santos undertook postdoctoral research at UniCV. Conversely, Cape Verdean professors such as Sónia Maria Duarte Melo Silva Victória, José Manuel da Veiga Pereira, José Maria Monteiro Semedo Antônio, and Jandir Pina Gomes conducted postdoctoral research at UFC.

The exchange also involved graduate and undergraduate students. Notable cases include the PhD internships of Maria Losângela Martins de Sousa (2015) and Luis Ricardo (2016), supervised by Prof. Vládia Oliveira and co-supervised by Prof. Sónia Victória. Brazilian students such as Hudson Silva Rocha and Bruna da Silva Lima pursued undergraduate sandwich programs in Cape Verde. In return, UFC hosted Cape Verdean students, including undergraduates Adilson Pina Gonçalves, Alveno João Brito Dias de Barros, and master’s student Ailton Emílio Lopes Varela. In 2016, notable mobility activities included the sandwich fellowships of Domingos Semedo da Silva and Edson Valdique Monteiro Semedo (undergraduate) and Gilson Semedo (master’s).

Institutional ties were further strengthened through Prof. Vládia Pinto Vidal’s participation in the PhD Program in Environmental Management and Policy at UniCV, created by the Lusophone Countries Environmental Studies Network (REALP), which brings together institutions from Brazil, Cape Verde, Portugal, and other African countries. In 2016, she co-taught part of the course Methodology of Interdisciplinarity with Portuguese professor Luis Oosterbeek and later taught a module on desertification.

This experience has become a model of international cooperation focused on solidarity, knowledge exchange, and the strengthening of cultural and scientific bonds among Portuguese-speaking countries. It also represents a distinctive model of international engagement for Brazilian public universities, with direct impact on academic training and knowledge production in contexts of mutual interest.

In the current evaluation period, partnerships with African institutions have expanded, reinforcing PPGGeo/UFC’s role in South-South cooperation, particularly through agreements with universities in Cape Verde and Morocco.

In Cape Verde, professors Vládia Vidal and Elisa Zanella maintain consolidated ties with UniCV. In 2023, they participated in the Conference Cycle of the UniCV Center for Research in Sustainable Development (Cidesd/UniCV), where they delivered the lecture Urban–Rural Relations: Implications for Territorial Planning. Both professors also serve continuously on the Scientific Committee of REALP Meetings, held biennially, where they also act as speakers. They are currently engaged in a comparative research project on beach area use in Santiago Island (Cape Verde) and fishing activities along the Ceará coast, in partnership with the State University of Vale do Acaraú (UVA). Prof. Vládia Vidal also served as faculty in UniCV’s Graduate Program in Environmental Management and Policy between 2016 and 2021.

In Morocco, a cooperation agreement was established with the Hassan II Institute, involving PPGGeo/UFC, CIRAD (France), and FUNCEME, enabling the development of multiple academic and scientific activities. Within the Brazil–Morocco exchange, highlights include a scientific mission carried out by professors Eustógio Dantas, Alexandre Pereira, and Jader Santos, along with PhD student Letícia Freitas, at the Hassan II Institute and the Institute of Meknes. Conversely, a scientific mission to Brazil was conducted in 2022 by Younnes Nekkar and Nassreddine Maatala (Hassan II Institute).

As part of this cooperation, a Field School was organized at UFC and in the municipality of Quixadá (CE), involving faculty and students from PPGGeo/UFC. The initiative was developed in partnership with CIRAD (France), the Hassan II Institute, the French Institute for Research on Health, Environment and Work, the Ministry of Health, FUNCEME, and PPGGeo/UFC, with the participation of professors Jader Santos, Younnes Nekkar, Nassreddine Maatala, and Julien Burte. During the Field School, students conducted territorial diagnoses using participatory methodologies, consolidating institutional mobility between the partners. Another notable development was the co-tutelle supervision of PhD student Bouchra Kouissi, jointly advised by professors Jader Santos (UFC) and Nassreddine Maatala (Hassan II Institute).