PAUWES celebrates graduation of Africa’s next gen sustainable development engineers and policymakers

The Pan African University Institute for Water and Energy Sciences including Climate Change (PAUWES) celebrated the second graduating class of both tracks of its two Master programmes yesterday. The 47 from across the African continent students will join the next generation of engineers and policymakers committed to addressing the issues critical to Africa’s sustainable development.

During a ceremony at the University of Tlemcen, the graduating students and their guests were welcomed and addressed by official representatives of the Algerian government and dignitaries from across Africa and Europe, including Her Excellency Prof. Sarah Anyang Agbor, the new African Union Commissioner for Human Resources , Science and Technology, Benyaiche Ali, the Governor of the Tlemcen Wilaya, and His Excellency Michael Zenner, the German Ambassador to Algeria.  

This year’s graduating students have conducted practice-oriented research for their master theses based on a multitude of case studies that address the water, energy, and climate-related challenges Africa faces. In order to gain a transcontinental perspective of those same challenges, the students have also completed international internships in the private and public sectors at renowned research institutions cross Africa and beyond. 

This cohort of graduating students represents and fulfills one of the key objectives of the Pan African University (PAU) and PAUWES – that is, to foster an African learning environment of the most qualified and motivated scholars while revitalising and nurturing the quality of African higher education. Not only are an array of African Union member states and 11 female students represented in the Class of 2017, but this diverse cohort of students have had the opportunity to study alongside an international faculty of over 100 professors and researchers from across Africa and the world.

“Supported by PAUWES, the University of Tlemcen and our key thematic partner Germany, we are confident that students of the Class of 2017 are well positioned to become leaders in public administration, policy-making, research, technology, private enterprise, and civil society,” said PAUWES in an issued statement.

The PAUWES 2017 Class Booklet showcases this year’s graduates and the Institute would be pleased to invite future employers to meet them. It can be accessed here: http://apo.af/c2fCtF