2017•09•29     Algeria

Graduates at the PAUWES ceremony. Photo: Margaret Koli for UNU-EHS

At a busy event in Algeria last week more than 40 students from 10 African countries were awarded their MSc degrees, a culmination of two years’ work at the PAUWES education programme based at the Pan African University in Tlemcen.

Only the second cohort to have graduated from this exciting collaboration between a host of international institutes and universities, the students have been based at the Pan African University’s Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (known as PAUWES), and will now build on their careers as water and energy engineers, and policy specialists.

Speaking at the graduation event, Jakob Rhyner, UNU-EHS rector, said: “This is a very important milestone which shows the stability of the programme. This is further exhibited by the increase in the number of students admitted, starting with 25 students and today seeing the number go up to 47 graduating students.”

Africa's future leaders! Congratulations #PAUWES students! #PauwesGraduation #PanAfricanUniversity #PAU #Tlemcen pic.twitter.com/1oQZAndZMU

— Christiane Tomaschew (@c_tomaschewski) September 29, 2017

The project is a collaboration between UNU-EHS in Bonn, the Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics (ITT) at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, and the Center for Development Research (ZEF) at the University of Bonn.

The programme offers graduate students access to leading academic research and the latest theoretical and hands-on training in areas vital to the future of the African continent’s development – water, energy and the challenge of climate change.

Speaking at the event Taguta Cuthbert, 29, from Zimbabwe and graduating with an MSc in water policy, said: “Two years of at PAUWES has offered us the best experiences inside and outside the classroom. The Africa-wide class exposed us to the diversity of personalities, cultures, beliefs and national experiences.

“The global-wide lecturers taught us international good practices in water resources management and governance, as well as cross-cutting issues. The lecturers also shared with us from their diverse and rich experiences.”

Cuthbert added that her studies at PAUWES had fueled her desire to “play a leading role in sustainable agricultural water management”, which she described as her own contribution to Africa’s Agenda 2063 and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

For more information about the project, which is now in its second phase, click here.