Leading experts from different parts of the world are currently meeting at the First Technical University, Ibadan, towards deepening scholarship on sustainable environmental management.
Among them are the Pioneer Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Ayobami Salami; Professor Jurgen Runge from Goethe University, Frankfurt, Germany; and Professor Kankoenandja Laidja from the University of Kara, Togo.
With Tech-U’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Adesola Ajayi, as host, the workshop centres on ‘Harmonising the Curriculum on the International Master in Sustainable Environmental Management (IMSEM) in Togo and Nigeria.’ It is holding on the platform of the International SDG Network Promoting Higher Education Research in Togo and Nigeria (DAAD-TONI Project).
According to Salami, it is a tripartite partnership between the First Technical University, Ibadan (with Institute for Sustainable Development as the host academic unit in Nigeria); Goethe University, Frankfurt (with the Institute of Physical Geography and the ZIAF as the coordinating centre); and the University of Kara.
On the importance of the workshop, Salami said, “The main focus of this project is capacity building for sustainable development through north-south and south-south collaboration among higher institutions of learning in Africa and Europe. Since the inception of this project in April/May 2023, there has been a series of activities such as north-south and south-south discussions, curriculum development and academic exchanges. Noteworthy are a three-day kick-off workshop at the University of Kara, Togo in May, 2023 and internship by German students in Togo and Nigeria in October/November, 2023. Later this year, three students each from Tech-U and Kara will undertake a two-month internship in Germany, and in 2025, there will be opportunity for 6 students of Tech-U to undertake a 4-week visit to Kara while 6 students from Kara will also come to Tech-U for a duration of 1 month.”
He added that it was crucial to build capacity for sustainable development because “Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a universal call to action for the purpose of ending poverty, protecting the planet and creating assurance of peace and prosperity for people around the world. SDGs address several issues related to education, environmental deterioration, health and climate change, among others. Recently, it was reported that the global impact of crisis such as wars, insecurities, high level of inequalities and global pandemic have caused setbacks and hindrances to the progress of achieving the SDGs by 2030. Limited capacity to achieve SDGs has further aggravated the situation in the global south, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries.’
Salami, who is also the Resident Electoral Commissioner for Lagos State, noted that the urgent actions for rescuing people and sustaining the planet could only be achieved by developing indigenous capacity through exchange of knowledge and sharing of experiences across the world. According to him, the SDGs are globally shared visions, which cannot be achieved by an individual country. Therefore, collaborations within global south and across global north are key to achieving SDGs within a reasonable timeframe.
He further stated, “In this context, this project, being a tripartite partnership between the First Technical University, Ibadan (with Institute for Sustainable Development- I4SD as the host academic unit in Nigeria), Goethe University, Frankfurt (with the Institute of Physical Geography and the ZIAF as the coordinating centre), and the University of Kara, Togo, is aimed at synergizing knowledge and experiences to address specific SDGs. The approach is to evolve a framework that positively impact higher education in Nigeria, Togo and Germany. The incorporation of sustainability practices and principles in the national higher education curriculum, regardless of the discipline, and development of curricula in different fields of sustainable development, will provide the needed consciousness in the population and the critical mass of local expertise required for generation of knowledge, advocacy, policy formulation and development as well as implementation of action plans geared towards expediting achievement of SDGs.”
The expert from Goethe, Professor Jurgen Runge, also spoke on the significance of the project. According to him, all the three universities involved, though comparatively young, are connected by the need to build capacity in sustainable development.
While acknowledging the cultural intrigue the project has to navigate since it straddles the three major languages of German, English and French, Runge said the DAAD-TONI Project was a challenging one and expressed the hope that it would get more funding from other institutions.
His counterpart from the University of Kara, Professor Kankoenandja Laidja, thanked Professor Salami for the role he played in making the project a reality.
He emphasised that it would deepen capacity building in sustainable development and environments concerns.
The host VC, Professor Adesola Ajayi, expressed delight at the promise the project holds for Tech-U and the two other universities involved. According to him, opportunities have continued to open up for the Institute of Sustainable Development at Tech-U, adding that the vision that gave birth to it predated 2019 when it came on stream.
He, thus, thanked Professor Salami and Runge for taking the workshop to Tech-U.
Ajayi, however, called on academics to build partnerships across disciplines. He said the interplay of languages – German, English and French – at the event indicated that everyone should cultivate more languages.
“I understand German because I studied in Germany. I am learning French now. That should be the spirit,” he said.
Also at the event were the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Iyiola Tella; the Registrar, Mrs Olayinka Balogun; Acting Librarian, Dr Rahmon Akinbode and Acting Bursal, Mr Samson Ayantoye.
Many other members of Tech-U’s staff were also present.
