Sustainable Integrated Rural Development in Africa (SIRDA)

Education for Sustainable Development in Africa Training Leaders for Sustainable Development in Africa Programme Universities University of Nairobi Kenyatta University University of Ibadan University of Ghana Kwame Nkrumah Universit y of Science and Technology University for Development Studies Universit y of Zambia University of Cape Town United Nations University Institute for Sustainability and Peace Message from the Director of United Nations University Institute for Sustainability and Peace (UNU-ISP) United Nations University Institute for Sustainability and Peace (UNU-ISP) was established in January 2009. As one of its first undertakings, in February 2009, ISP convened a consultation conference on the role of higher education in Africa with the participation of 15 African and 15 Japanese and international scholars. Out of this conference came the idea of the ESDA Project – a project to establish Master’s Programmes for sustainable development in Africa to be jointly managed b...

  Background The Sustainable Integrated Rural Development in Africa (SIRDA) masters programme at KNUST was initiated by the United Nation University (UNU) under its Education for Sustainable Development in Africa (UNU – ESDA) Programme. Sustainable development as defined in this study-program is in line with the term coined in the paper “Our Common Future”, released by the Brundtland Commission ( Sustainable development is the kind of development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs). Sustainable development has become an increasingly important developmental issue, particularly in Africa. This is because it is widely recognised that Africa faces a major challenge in overcoming the myriad of environmental, economic and social problems to reduce poverty and improve human living conditions, especially in the rural areas where the majority of the people live. In these rural areas, low incomes, ...