JAMP

Joint African Masters Program (JAMP) in Comparative Local Development

The Joint African masters Programme in Comparative Local development (JAMP) is a fully interdisciplinary programme comprising the application of economics, law, sociology and political science to the analysis of local development. The programme seeks a holistic approach to local development and provides an integrated framework for analysis and intervention. It approaches and addresses development primarily at the local level, thereby promoting the ongoing localisation of economic growth and productivity as well as the democratisation of local government and decentralisation of governance in countries in Africa. The programme is directed primarily towards existing and future practitioners (from the public, private and civil society sectors), and is thus oriented towards direct application and real world impact.

The JAMP seeks to develop competencies for the achievement of higher levels of efficiency and efficacy in local administration and development, thereby enhancing the role of local governmental bodies in local development. It optimises synergies between major role players and stakeholders in local development through strategic partnerships and seeks to promote social cohesion and stability in local constituencies within the context of uneven and under-development. It seeks to increase intra-regional co-operation for the purposes of promoting economic potentialities and attempts to promote cultural diversity and tolerance, and the management thereof, as a basis for developmental cooperation. One of the main outcomes of the programme will be to accelerate regional integration as a medium to long-term goal in order to enhance the co-ordination of local and international efforts.

The JAMP is an initiative of a consortium of four Southern Africa universities and one European university: the Tshwane University of Technology (South Africa), the University of Botswana (Botswana), the Polytechnic of Namibia (Namibia), Universidade São Tomás de Moçambique (Mozambique), and Università di Trento (Italy). The programme will be accredited in all the partner countries and jointly conferred by all partner institutions. The teaching faculty are drawn from a pool of experts resident at participating institutions in the region as well as experts located at institutions in other regions of the continent and internationally. This increases the overall knowledge pool and research expertise of the teaching faculty. The programme comprises its own regional research institute, a facility for initiating, stimulating and supporting regional research projects comprising multiple institutions and teams of individual researchers.

The initiative is consortium based, and for the first five years of the consortium the Tshwane University of Technology and the Università di Trento will serve as the co-ordinating universities. The University of Trento also serves as the co-ordinating university for the European Masters in Comparative Local Development for the Balkans and other areas in transformation.

JAMP seeks to develop competencies for the achievement of:

• Higher levels of efficiency and efficacy in public administration, thereby promoting and increasing the role of local governmental bodies in local development;
• Optimising synergies between major role players and takeholders in local development through strategic partnerships;
• Promotion of social cohesion and stability in local constituencies within the contexts of uneven and under-development;
• Increasing intra-regional co-operation for the purposes of promoting economi potentialities;
• Promoting cultural diversity and tolerance, and the management thereof, as a basis for developmental cooperation;
• Accelerating regional integration as a medium-long-term goal to enhance the coordination of local and international efforts.

The JAMP runs over twenty four months and is taught via a combination of distance learning, contact sessions, internships, project activity and original empirical research. The programme will employ multiple sites for instruction, internship and research activity. The medium of instruction for all teaching activities will be English. Internships activities will be conducted in any of the applicable languages of the Southern African region. The maximum time allowed to students to complete the JAMP programme and graduate is 3 years.

Upon the successful completion of all Masters activities, the Academic Authorities of the organising institutions will award the Joint Degree "Joint African Masters Programme on Comparative Local Development", which corresponds to the following, in each of the partner countries:

• Italy: I level Masters degree according to the DM 509/99 art. 3, comma 9 and subsequent modifications;
• Namibia: Masters Degree;
• South Africa: M Tech: Comparative Local Development at NQF Level 8;
• Mozambique: MA Comparative Local Development.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

In order to qualify for the programme candidates have to comply with the following requirements:

1. A university degree, equivalent to:
   • Botswana: 120 credits;
   • European system: 240 ECTS;
   • Mozambique: 600 credits;
   • Namibia: four-year Bachelor degree with a research component or an equivalent qualification as approved by Senate in Namibia.
   • South Africa: 480 credits;

   The degree should be preferably in economics, management, law, political science, sociology, public administration and management or an equivalent qualification;

2. Good knowledge of the English language;
3. Quality of a research proposal presented; and
4. Congruence of experience and motives with the nature of the local comparative development programme.

The JAMP programme is offered at a cost equivalent to that of a reputable MBA programme. The call for applications and all other information, including the application form can be found as attachments below.

For further information, please contact:
Jan Grundling (Organisational Director)
Tel: +27 (0)12 382 5583
Cell: +27 (0)82 908 1229
Email: grundlingjp@tut.ac.za