Research & Publications

Research that answers questions our communities are already asking

Research at Wesley College begins in the field rather than the library. Our students spend their practicums in parishes, ward offices, dispensaries, cooperatives and small enterprises across Mwanza and the wider Lake Zone, and the questions they bring back set the College research agenda.

The Research and Consultancy Office coordinates this work: it reviews proposals from staff and students, guides applicants through national research clearance, supports writing for publication, and manages the advisory services the College offers to churches, local government and non‑governmental organisations.

Portrait of Miss Teddy Ngallaba — Miss Teddy Ngallaba

Where we concentrate

Five priority areas, one anchored in each academic department. Proposals outside these areas are still welcome, but work within them attracts supervision and internal support first.

Theology and public life Department of Theology: Wesleyan theology applied to governance, peacebuilding and the moral dimensions of economic life; chaplaincy and pastoral care in schools, Colleges, hospitals and prisons.
Livelihoods and local development Department of Community Development: Household livelihood strategies around Lake Victoria, participation in ward development planning, and how community groups sustain projects after donor funding ends.
Child protection and family welfare Department of Social Work: Case management in under‑resourced settings, care for children outside parental care, and the working relationship between faith communities and statutory social welfare.
Small enterprise and cooperatives Department of Business Administration: Record‑keeping and access to credit among micro and small enterprises, savings groups, and the financial management of church‑owned institutions.
Digital tools for service delivery Department of Computer Science & ICT: Low‑bandwidth and offline‑first systems for schools, clinics and community organisations, and the practical realities of digital skills training outside the major cities.

Directorate of Research, Consultancy & Community Outreach

1. Core Mandate & Institutional Purpose

The Directorate of Research & Consultancy at Wesley College serves as the institutional hub for academic inquiry, evidence-based innovation, external consultancy, and community development. Operating under the Office of the Deputy Principal for Academic Affairs (DPAA), the Directorate bridges academia and industry by translating scholarly research into practical solutions for businesses, public sector bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and local communities across Mwanza and the Lake Zone region.

Academic Inquiries & Faculty Research Peer-Reviewed Publications

External Consultancy & Feasibility Contracted Client Solutions

Socio-Economic Development & Policy Reform

Strategic Objectives

Promote Applied ResearchFostering interdisciplinary research addressing key socio-economic challenges, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and regional priorities.
Commercialize Consultancy ServicesOffering technical expertise, project evaluations, organizational training, and feasibility studies to corporate, government, and development partners.
Capacity BuildingEquipping academic staff and postgraduate students with advanced skills in quantitative/qualitative research methodologies, grant writing, and policy formulation.
Ethical GovernanceEnsuring all research activities involving human or environmental subjects strictly adhere to national and international research ethics standards.

2. Operational Units & Core Functions

The Directorate operates through four integrated functional units:

The four units of the Directorate and their primary activities
Unit	Core Mandate & Primary Activities
Research & Innovation Division	Coordinates faculty research grants, seed funding, and interdisciplinary research clusters. Manages the publication of institutional journals and working papers. Oversees the submission of manuscripts to the Wesley College Institutional Repository (WCIR) and external peer-reviewed outlets.
Consultancy & Advisory Services	Bids for external consultancy contracts, baseline surveys, impact evaluations, and market assessments. Assembles expert multidisciplinary consultancy teams from college faculty. Delivers tailored executive training, corporate governance workshops, and professional development programs.
Research Ethics & Integrity Board (REIB)	Reviews and clears research proposals for ethical compliance, data privacy, and participant protection. Issues official Institutional Research Ethical Clearance Certificates for faculty and graduate researchers. Monitors compliance with national regulatory bodies (e.g., COSTECH).
Community Engagement & Knowledge Transfer	Translates research findings into accessible policy briefs, community workshops, and advocacy campaigns. Facilitates field action projects and partnerships with local government authorities (LGAs) and civil society organizations.

3. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP): External Consultancy Bidding & Execution

Consultancy work moves through four steps, from spotting the opportunity to issuing the completion certificate.

Proposal Sourcing & Triage

Request for Proposal (RFP) / Tender Identification
- The Directorate identifies consultancy opportunities via public tenders, development partner RFPs, or direct client requests.
- The Director conducts a preliminary feasibility assessment to ensure alignment with institutional capabilities and ethical standards.
Technical & Financial Bid Preparation

Team Formation & Proposal Drafting
- The Directorate assembles a qualified consultancy team comprising lead experts and research assistants from relevant academic departments.
- The team drafts the Technical Proposal (methodology, work plan, team CVs) and Financial Proposal (person-day rates, field logistics, college overhead fees).
- The Bursar reviews and signs off on the financial budget.
Contract Signing & Financial Administration

Institutional Contracting & Management Fee
- Upon award, the contract is signed between the Client and Wesley College (represented by the Principal/DPAA).
- Consultancy revenue is managed through a dedicated College Consultancy Account, adhering to the institutional overhead split:
  - Lead Consultants / Field Team. 85%
  - Institutional Overhead & Facilities Fee. 10%
  - Research Development Fund. 5%
Fieldwork, Quality Assurance & Closeout

Execution, QA & Final Reporting
- The consultancy team executes data collection, analysis, and report drafting under the supervision of the Quality Assurance Directorate.
- The final deliverable is presented to the client, and a project completion certificate is issued.

4. Key Focus Areas & Technical Expertise

The Directorate mobilizes interdisciplinary teams across several priority domains:

Business Development & EntrepreneurshipFeasibility studies, business plan formulation, market surveys, enterprise growth strategies, and financial literacy training.
Education & PedagogyCurriculum review, instructional design, educational technology integration, and teacher training evaluations.
Social Development & Gender StudiesBaseline assessments for community projects, gender mainstreaming audits, safeguarding evaluations, and youth empowerment studies.
Information Technology & Data AnalyticsCustom database design, software development, data visualization, and IT infrastructure audits.
Research and Public TheologyFocused on promoting public Theology in Tanzania, research public theology in Tanzania and Africa, theology and entrepreneurship and paradigm shift.

Researchers at Wesley College

Members of academic staff who supervise student research and publish in their fields.

Prof. Joseph Moiba

Head, Department of Theology
Research Fellow, Wesley House, Cambridge

Prof. Moiba's work brings Wesleyan theology into conversation with the political and economic questions facing West and East African societies. His writing has examined religion and peacemaking, the moral dimension of public life, and the reading of Old Testament texts in African contexts. He teaches across theology, chaplaincy and pastoral psychology, and supervises student research in the department.

Wesleyan theology
Leadership and governance
Peace studies
Chaplaincy
Sociology of religion

For more info

Miss Teddy Ngallaba

Head, Department of Community Development
Head, Research & Consultancy

Miss Ngallaba leads the College's research and consultancy function alongside her department, reviewing staff and student proposals, guiding applicants through national research clearance, and managing the advisory work the College carries out for churches, local government and community organisations. Her teaching centres on participatory approaches to community development and on the practical skills — needs assessment, project design, monitoring and evaluation — that graduates use in the field.

Participatory development
Monitoring and evaluation
Livelihoods
Community organising

For more info

Submitting a research proposal

The route is the same for members of staff and for students working on a dissertation or final‑year project.

Send a concept note

Two pages covering the question, why it matters, how you will gather evidence and what it will cost. Email it to the Research and Consultancy Office.

Internal review

The office reviews the design and the ethics of the study, and assigns a supervisor. Expect written comments within three weeks.

National clearance

Once the design is approved, the College supports your application for the permits listed alongside. Fieldwork cannot begin before these are issued.

Fieldwork and analysis

Your supervisor stays involved through data collection. Consent forms and data handling follow the protocol approved at review.

Write up and deposit

Completed work is deposited with the College and, where suitable, prepared for publication in a peer‑reviewed journal.

Permits you will need

Research in Tanzania requires clearance before any data is collected.

COSTECH — the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology issues national research clearance and registers the study. costech.or.tz
PO‑RALG — regional and district authorities issue the site permits that let you work in a particular ward or village.
NIMR — studies touching on health or medical data also need ethical approval from the National Institute for Medical Research. nimr.or.tz
Institutional consent — schools, hospitals, churches and employers each need their own written permission before you approach participants.

College publications

Staff papers, conference presentations and selected student dissertations, held in one place and free to read.

The collection is being compiled

Staff and alumni with published work are invited to send the full citation, and a PDF where the licence allows it, to info@wesleycollegetz.com. Entries are added as they are verified.

Consultancy and advisory services

The College takes on assignments for churches, local government departments, schools and non‑governmental organisations working in the Lake Zone. Teams are drawn from academic staff and supported by senior students, which keeps costs modest and gives graduates real fieldwork before they finish their studies.

Baseline and endline surveys
Project monitoring and evaluation
Training needs assessments
Community needs assessments
Curriculum and programme review
Organisational capacity assessments

Commission a study

Describe the assignment and the timeframe, and the Research and Consultancy Office will respond with a proposal and a costing.

research@wesleycollegetz.com
255 752‑473434