Project Description

Several countries have adopted the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) as part of a set of global commitments to promote sustainable development. Adopting the SDG goals means being more inclusive and advocating for environmentally sensitive economic development. In Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania, university's contributions to education, research, and innovation are important in achieving sustainable development. In this regard, the primary objective of "Applied Research and Teaching for Sustainable Development" (ART4Dev) is to support the partner institutions University of Cape Coast Ghana, Mount Kenya University, MOI University Kenya, and Institute of Financial Management, Tanzania in their efforts to contribute to sustainable development and establish structures that enhance educational quality. The project will achieve this by building expertise in Sustainable Economy, strengthening applied research in sustainable development, promoting innovative solutions to SDG challenges, and delivering extra-curricular training at the partner universities in Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania. The concept of a Sustainable Economy refers to providing the greatest amount of general well-being and ensuring that overall demand is less than nature's renewable supply of resources.

 

The sustainable economy module will consist of topics in the following:

• Environment and Climate

• Social protection

• Innovation and entrepreneurship

• Microfinance.

 

The proposed project will, over four years, produce the following:

• a Sustainable Economy working group,

• 2 capacity building/didactic/technical workshops,

• 1 Sustainable Economy module

• 16 online guest lectures from industry experts

• 1 research agenda workshop

• 8 transdisciplinary/ community engagement workshops

• A collection of working papers in sustainable development in Africa

• 3 sustainable development in Africa conference

• 3 SDG innovation challenge

• 16 extra-curricular workshops for students, graduates, and businesses.

 

The project will work closely with several non-university partners. These partners will offer access to case study materials, help create content for online modules and provide placements to students. Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, University of Applied Sciences (H-BRS), and the IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) will bring their expertise and networks. H-BRS is the central coordinator of all project activities.