UCC partners with foreign universities on SDGs for graduate studies

The University of Cape Coast (UCC) has partnered two foreign Universities to help accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa.

The SDG initiative by the Universities focuses on innovative research that brings together approaches from performance, arts and culture to bear on sustainable development as defined in the United Nations SDGs.

The Research Training Group “Performing Sustainability” has set itself the objective of formulating international research approaches in the field of cultural studies on the SDG with a focus on peace and conflict studies to doctoral and master students in West-Africa in the years from 2016 to 2020. (edit) The programme has been renewed for a second round starting 2021.

Through a structured PhD program, 12 PhD and six master students will be qualified within the first three years. In autumn of 2019, the second run with 18 scholarship holders will commence.

All students will consistently mediate and disseminate the acquired knowledge throughout the course of their future academic careers.

Following the focus on the theory-practice relationship of the University of Hildesheim, program participants are encouraged to start working on projects in the educational, socio-cultural or cultural policy field to implement the SDG 16 into their society.    

Speaking at the forum, the SDG Graduate School coordinator for UCC, Eyram Fiagbedzi, explained the interdisciplinary Graduate School is a collaborative training network for graduate students by the University of Hildesheim (Germany), University of Maiduguri (Nigeria) and University of Cape Coast (Ghana).

Educational Researcher at the Berlin Center for Higher Education, Dr Björn Kiehne, said a highly innovative country, Germany is looking at all fields of education with an excellent quality primary, secondary and tertiary education.

According to him, such investments into education are seen as investments into the future of the country. 

“Higher education can be an agent of the creation of identity. Especially in a country like Germany, that benefits from migration.

"To shape a national identity that includes all, newcomers and natives is a challenge that has to be addressed by higher education and the society as a whole,” he explained.

In addition to the project, Dr Björn Kiehne intimates, Germany would like to intensify its cultural contacts with Ghana by welcoming its researchers and students with both countries benefiting from a free exchange of ideas.

The Graduate School - Performing Sustainability - Cultures and Development in West-Africa is one of seven SDG Graduate Schools promoted by the DAAD through financial support of the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development.

More information

SDG Graduate School (SDG-GS) Performing Sustainability

Sustainable Development Goals