Workshop on the Role of Higher Education in Africa: ’Triple Helix’ Responses to Climate Change

Time and venue: October 30, 2009, Aalborg University, Denmark.

The background of the workshop was that until now, it can be asserted that academic partnerships in Africa with the public and private sector (especially in the area of education) have not been attempted on any meaningful, larger scale. In the opinion of the organisers, this has had detrimental effects on development, with unexplored potential for job creation in partnership with e.g. the business sector and similar potential for innovative projects and activities which tailor sustainable technology solutions to local conditions and needs.

With the overall objective of exploring potentials for collaborative approaches in climate change adaptation and mitigation, the one-day workshop was organized in collaboration with the Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change at Roskilde University and the Danish School of Education, Aarhus University. The specific objectives of the workshop were to:
• Explore best-practice in ‘Triple Helix’ partnerships and the role and potential contribution of Higher Education in Africa
• Explore opportunities by which Higher Education may contribute to sustainable technology development in climate change adaptation and mitigation
• Explore opportunities for further developing Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) in African contextually rooted settings and relating to climate change

Report, programme and presentations to be downloaded:

The narrative report from the workshop can be downloaded following this link.

The program can be downloaded following this link.

Below the presentations from the workshop can be downloaded:

- Opening and presentation of Aalborg University by Professor Arne Remmen.
- Climate Change and Higher Education in Africa: A Southern African Perspective by Director Rasigan Maharajh, Institute of Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology
- Lessons learned from network based partnerships targeting needs in developing countries by Project Manager Jacob Ravn, Access2Innovation
- Fostering Academic-Commercial Networks and Entrepreneurship by Senior Consultant Jørn Kristiansen, AAU Innovation, Aalborg University
- African Priority Areas for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation Technologies by Professor Jamidu Katima, College of Engineering and Technology, University of Dar es Salaam
- Innovating the Clean Development Mechanism by Assistant Professor Rikke Bak Lybæk, Department of Environmental, Social and Spatial Change (ENSPAC), Roskilde University
- Education for Sustainable Development – Experiences from Kenya by Dr. Dorcas Otieno, School of Environmental Studies, Kenyatta University
- What Role for Problem Based Learning in Africa? by Research Assistant Diana Stentoft Department of Education, Learning and Philosophy, Aalborg University