Grow Green Africa

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Gr2A Partners meet in Swakopmund, Namibia for a Paper Writing Workshop

In an attempt to achieve the set target of 35 or more publications within the Grow Green Africa (Gr2A) Consortium, the following participants: Vuyelwa Ruwodo, University of Turku (UTU), Ronald Karon and Prof Nikodemus Angula, Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST-NAM), Sibusisiwe  Dube, National University of Science and Technology (NUST-ZIM), and George Mufungulwa, Copperbelt university (CBU), met for a workshop in Swakopmund from the 2nd to the 6th of June 2025.

The Paper Writing Workshop.

The workshop was organized to train the trainers in research paper writing. Trainees emerging from the workshop were tasked to go into their institutions and share with both staff and students in the Consortium, writing skills acquired from the workshop.

Several topics relating to each institution’s area of focus were identified. The following were among the identified areas: Climate change in irrigation; Climate change resilience in livestock management; Agricultural Advisory Services on Climate Adaptation; Precision Farming and Water conservation and Curriculum Harmonization. The Swakopmund workshop not only provided an opportunity for participants to engage in paper writing activities but also to bond on a more personal level.

With the workshop held in their lodgings, participants had an opportunity to interact informally over the dining table or in the kitchen. Strong bonds were therefore forged among the workshop participants which spanned beyond academia to focus on personal interests.

The workshop therefore, further paved way for future collaboration in various areas of interest since the Intra-Africa Mobility Scheme is not limited to academic collaboration. In the words of one of the participants, Prof S. Dube, “Apart from spearheading academic collaboration, this workshop has also encouraged us to learn our neighbor’s culture at the same time the weakening the divisive effects of borders hence strengthening familiarity between neighbors.”

Above: From L- R: Mr Vuyelwa Ruwodo, University of Turku (UTU), Prof Nikodemus Angula and Mr Ronald Karon, Namibian University of Science and Technology (NUST-NAM), Prof. Sibusisiwe Dube, National University of Science and Technology (NUST-ZIM), squatting, Dr George Mufungulwa, Copperbelt university (CBU).

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Erkki Sutinen Presents the 1st Gr2A Conference Paper at FIE 2024

In a ground-breaking achievement for the Grow Green Africa (Gr2A) Project, Erkki Sutinen, the coordinator of the Gr2A Chapter at the University of Turku, Finland, made history by presenting the first conference paper of the Grow Green Africa Project at the Frontiers in Education (FIE) 2024 Conference held in Washington, D.C., USA, from the 13th to the 16th of October 2024. With a theme “Embracing the Challenges and Transforming Engineering and Computing Education in a Technology-Enhanced World” the conference brought in presenters from across the globe. The conference, a leading international platform for electrical engineering and computing, showcased innovative advancements in the field.

The Gr2A presentation, titled “Integrating Green Computing Competencies Into Southern African Curricula” was a paper written by Vuyelwa David Ruwodo (University of Turku, Finland); Lannie Uwu-khaeb (University of Turku, Finland); George Mufungulwa (The Copperbelt University, Zambia); Nikodemus Angula (Namibia University of Science and Technology, Namibia); Sibonile Moyo (National University of Science and Technology, Zimbabwe); and Erkki Sutinen (University of Turku, Finland),” The paper discusses the development of a curriculum designed for use by the five African universities involved in a European Union funded project. The curriculum is designed to equip Computing postgraduate students with knowledge. skills, and competencies necessary for the mitigation of climate change from a computing perspective.

Presenting at FIE2024 is a significant milestone for the Gr2A project as it disseminates the output of the project at a global scale. Further it validates the hard work and dedication of the project team. As a project we feel honored to contribute to the global discourse on Green Computing, and the Computing field in general. The presentation was well-received by the international audience, generating significant interest and discussion. The paper is expected to have a profound impact on Computing practices.