The Promotion of Sustainable Development by Higher Education Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Global University Network for Innovation, International Association of Universities, Association for African Universities, 2011. Pages: 101.

In a joint project by the Global University Network for Innovation (GUNI), the International Association of Universities (IAU) and the Association of African Universities (AAU), The Promotion of Sustainable Development by Higher Education Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa is a report examining African universities’ role and response to the developmental and environmental challenges facing their respective countries and regions.

The report is based on findings of a survey from 73 sub-Saharan African higher education institutions and issues recommendations, including the promotion of

• institutional governance (i.e. the formulation of institution-wide sustainability policies);
• curriculum development (i.e. re-orientation of teaching and learning methods in order to foster connection between certain disciplines and the environment);
• staff development and incentivising of sustainability research to improve environmental outputs;
• outreach programmes that serve local communities and
• the involvement of the private higher education sector to further promote the impact of sustainability measures.

The report is part of the first phase of a joint GUNI-IAU-AAU project focused on sustainable development issues. The next phase of the joint project will aim to train institutional staff to further strengthen the role of universities in developing and promoting sound sustainable measures.

International Association of Universities (IAU)