Ghana is one of the emerging African countries that is experiencing both strong population growth and economic progress. Agriculture, water and energy are vital sectors for sustainable development in Ghana. Therefore, future university graduates should be prepared for the market by equipping them with the up-to-date knowledge that tackles the real problems of these three sectors. A carried needs analysis at the three Ghanaian universities has identified three study programs that are in urgent need for update and enhancement (BSc Water Resources Development; MSc Sustainable Energy Engineering Management; MPhil Crop Science) as well as lacking skills of teaching staff and infrastructure. Based on this analysis, the project consortium members—RWTH Aachen University, Politecnico di Milano, University of Ghana, University of Energy and Natural Resources, and University of Environment and Sustainable Development—have identified five specific objectives to tackle these challenges:
- Identify the real-world challenges through in-depth analysis;
- enhance the quality of the identified three study programs through introducing new topics and updating existing ones;
- promote and support gender equality through establishing a Gender and Diversity contact point at each of the 3 GH universities;
- develop and implement a capacity building program for the academic staff;
- digitalize through enhancing the digital infrastructure as well as developing digital contents.
These five objectives are achieved through eight work packages to be implemented over three years. The budget is effectively planned and balanced between the partners. All the partners are involved in the management process. There is a clear quality control plan for all the project activities, deliverables and milestones. The dissemination plan includes different channels to reach as many target groups as possible. The main outputs will be three modern and up-to-date study programs offered by three Ghanaian universities and at least 80 academic staff members capable to teach the new contents and digitalize them.
