Mr Mailu (right) receiving his department's strategic plan from Vice Chancellor Prof John Odhiambo

Strathmore University through the Distance Learning Centre (DLC) has been contracted by BPP, a UK publisher to reproduce ACCA study texts and revision kits for 13 countries in the East and Central Africa region. The reproduced material cost 65% less than the material printed in UK, says Mr Richard Mailu, Director of DLC.

The deal which was signed in June 2006 also means each student pursuing ACCA at SU gets a copy of the study text. This has seen the number of students enrolling for ACCA at SU increase exponentially.

Mr Mailu has been criss-crossing the region from Ethiopia to Malawi, Rwanda to Seychelles to establish a distribution network. Other countries covered in the deal include Tanzania, Uganda, Sudan, DRC, Burundi, Djibouti, Eriterea, Somalia, and Kenya.

Some of the challenges the project is facing include lack of clarity on custom regimes in different countries . "Sometimes, different custom officers in the same country interpret custom regulations differently. At one time, an officer says this. Then after a month or two, another officer says something different as regards how to go about import duties and other taxes," Mr Mailu says.

"And this confusion can be very costly. It can lead to loss of a consignment as ACCA books change every year. Another challenge is foreign currency controls. In some of these countries, institutions have to apply for foreign currency from the government. And this can delay purchases for even half a year," Mr Mailu adds.

A positive side effect is SU is getting known in the region and many institutions are keen to collaborate with SU. Mr Mailu cited Seychelles Institute of Management (SIM) as one of those institutions. SOA will be sending two lecturers to SIM and another three to Tanzania in November.