Phase 2 Projects: December 2017 - ongoing
In December 2017 Phase 2 of GCRF Africa Catalyst was launched. This second phase supported eight projects across sub-Saharan Africa, ranging from one to three years in length. Please see below for a brief overview of each project.
Federation of African Engineering Organizations (Nigeria) - UK Partner: RedR UK
Project location: Nigeria
This project is designed to strengthen the Federation of African Engineering Organisations (FAEO), a professional engineering body based in Nigeria, so that they can effectively promote the profession, share best practice, and increase local engineering capacity, to help drive development in the country and region.
Founded in 2012, the Federation currently has 26-member countries. In order to better support its members, this project seeks to establish FAEO as an effective and self-sustainable organisation with sufficient staff. FAEO, with the support of RedR UK, will build up its own capacities to contribute to the overall objective and general impact that this project aims to achieve: Professional Engineering Institutes (PEIs) across Africa are better able to work towards international standards of education and accreditation through the support of the FAEO.
For more information about FAEO via their website, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.
WomEng (South Africa) - UK Partner: Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership
Project locations: Malawi, eSwatini, Tanzania and Zimbabwe
The aim of this project is to assist engineering bodies in Malawi, eSwatini, Zimbabwe and Tanzania set up "women in engineering" chapters within respective engineering bodies, leveraging off WomEng's skills and experience in developing and running women in engineering programs across 13 countries.
WomEng will assist in training and development of body members; this will include leadership and entrepreneurship training, continuous relevance amongst engineering professionals, diversity training and to develop an execution plan of critical programmes pioneered by WomEng, which include high school STEM awareness programs and university employability, entrepreneurship and skills building programs for female engineers. The ultimate goal is to improve the number of registered female engineers in sub-Saharan Africa.
For more infomation about WomEng visit their website, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers - UK Partner: Engineers for Change (Sierra Leone)
Project locations: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria
The aim of this project is to upgrade engineering training and practice in Sierra Leone. It has five different project areas:
- Part 1 - Young Engineers Corp 2, which looks at developing and further rolling out the “soft” skills development and work placement programme.
- Part 2 – Raising standards at USL’s Engineering Faculty, aiming to address the issues around thestandards of the facilities and teaching resources available at Fourah Bay College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone (USL).
- Part 3 – Attaining international academic accreditation, which involves expanding the Civil and Electrical Engineering degree course content to meet standards for international accreditation.
- Part 4 – Improving professional training and developing CPD and supplementary training.
- Part 5 – Promoting innovation in research to deliver commercial outcomes.
For more information about SLIE visit their Website or Twitter.
SAICE Professional Development and Projects (South Africa) - UK Partner: The Institution of Structural Engineers
Project locations: South Africa, eSwatini, Lesotho, Madagascar
The intention of this project is to develop an easily customisable web tool that will allow professional bodies to develop their own websites, build up their own databases, advertise and manage events, share news, issue invoice notifications, and generally enhance and grow the services they currently offer. A ‘toolkit’ of options and activities which should be put in place will be made available from which organisations can select to build up their services.
Strengthening engineering networks and facilitating knowledge sharing and best practice will create opportunities for economic development, community and business engagement, leading to new and improved processes, business, opportunities and service delivery.
For more information about SAICE Professional Development & Projects visit their website or Facebook.
Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers - UK Partner: The Institution of Engineering and Technology
Project location: Uganda
The objectives of UIPE include promoting the general advancement of the practice of engineering and its applications and to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas. UIPE collaborates with universities and institutions on education and training in engineering science and practice.
This project has the following objectives:
- a) Increase the services and benefits to members that will lead to more members joining the institution with a particular focus on female engineers, technologists and technicians
- b) Promote and strengthen sustainability of capacity building initiatives for professionalism in the engineering sector
- c) Support retention of engineering professionals in the engineering industry with a particular focus on female engineers, technologists and technicians
The overall goal of the project is to support UIPE in building capacity and skills of women engineers, technicians and technologists thus equipping them with the skills that can enhance their professionalism thereby contributing to national development. The project will also enable UIPE crystallise lessons and learning into a Diversity and Inclusion Policy for UIPE.
For more information about UIPE, visit their Facebook, Twitter or website.
Institution of Engineers Rwanda - UK Partner: Engineers Against Poverty
Project location: Rwanda
This project aims to promote the training and development of engineers in Rwanda. The project will support:
- The development of a professional engineering institution that can effectively support and promote professionalism.
- Engineers as direct stakeholders to achieve the Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy in Rwanda, with a high standard of professionalism.
- The capacity building of young graduate engineers by bridging the gap between universities or academic institutions and engineering practice through the development and delivery of an internship system.
For more information about IER, please visit their Twitter and website.
South African Institute of Agricultural Engineers - UK Partner: Institution of Agricultural Engineers & Harper Adams University
Project locations: South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria
Food, water and energy insecurity are widespread throughout Africa. Technologies to promote food, water and energy security can be developed by Agricultural Engineers, hence there is a significant need to grow the Agricultural Engineering profession in Africa.
The establishment of AfroAgEng will promote and grow the profession of Agricultural Engineering in Africa, which is necessary to provide the skilled human resources and technology for improved and sustainable water supply, food production, food processing, food storage and environmental management. This will promote the food, water and energy security required to meet the growing population, both in Africa and internationally, and thus support the reduction of poverty in rural marginalized societies. The project will also develop a strategy to promote collaboration between agricultural engineering societies and academic institutions in Africa and the UK, and thus provide a platform for joint projects and professional activities in the future.
Find out more about AfroAgEng via their Facebook and website.
The Nigerian Institution of Mehanical Engineers - UK Partner: Engineers Against Poverty
Project locations: Nigeria, Ghana
The NIMechE Innovation Challenge 2.0 builds on the success of the recently concluded NIMechE Innovation Challenge to deepen and expand the capacity of undergraduates and young mechanical engineers in providing home-grown innovative solutions in agriculture, power supply, renewable energy and automation and to develop an effective system of knowledge sharing, collaboration and internships amongst mechanical engineers in Nigeria and Ghana.
The NIMechE Innovation Challenge 2.0 is a 3-prong development programme dedicated to building the capacity of mechanical engineering students in Nigeria and Ghana through a comprehensive system of targeted learning in engineering development and entrepreneurship.
For more information about NiMechE please visit their Facebook and website
The Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers – UK Partner Engineers for Change
Project locations: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria
This project aims to establish an initial framework for the harmonization of engineering education in Western Africa. It also looks at strengthening the capacity of engineering institutions to respond simultaneously to the educational and employability needs of populations.
The project is made up of three parts:
- Part 1 – Review of member country internal accreditation systems.
- Part 2 – Independent assessment of 2 further degree courses
- Part 3 – Pave the way towards attaining international accreditation
Visit website
The Sierra Leone Institution of Engineers – UK Partner Engineers for Change
Project locations: Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria
This project aims to establish an initial framework for the harmonization of engineering education in Western Africa. It also looks at strengthening the capacity of engineering institutions to respond simultaneously to the educational and employability needs of populations.
The project is made up of three parts:
- Part 1 – Review of member country internal accreditation systems.
- Part 2 – Independent assessment of 2 further degree courses
- Part 3 – Pave the way towards attaining international accreditation
Visit website