Die dritte Phase des Projekts Alumni-Denkfabrik läuft...

The project Alumni-Denkfabrik  has entered its third phase.

Seminar Report Denkfabrik on the theme: Urbanization in Africa as a major challenge.

On November 14, 2014 was held in the conference room of the Centre DAW of the University of Yaoundé I a seminar on the theme. Urbanization in Africa as a major challenge, featuring parcitipants from South Africa, Germany, Kenya and Cameroon. This seminar was the first step in the third phase of the project. Alumni Denkfabrik of the Goethe-Institut in collaboration with the GIZ, the KBK, the DAAD and the DAW Centre of the University of Yaoundé 1, was held under the supervision of Prof. Simo and was highlighted by the presence of His Excellency the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in Cameroon, Dr. Ludwig Keferstein, and the representative of the Rector of the University of Yaoundé 1, in the person of Prof. Tonye. Also present was Dr. Simone Heil, representative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.

The seminar opened with a word of welcome from the representative of the Rector of the University of Yaoundé I, Mr. Tonye, who thanked the German Ambassador, Dr. Keferstein, for his and his country's commitment to scientific cooperation between Germany and Cameroon. He also underlined the quality of the work carried out by the DAW Center and its promoter Prof. Simo in the sense of this cooperation. He then praised the initiative of the Goethe-Institut, which came up with the idea for the workshop and provided financial support. Finally, Prof. Tonye welcomed the participants from other countries, thanking them for their participation, before closing his welcome by declaring the seminar officially open.

Following on from Prof. Tonye, German Ambassador Dr. Keferstein took the floor to thank Prof. Simo, the DAW Centre and the University of Yaoundé I for organizing the Denkfabrik seminar in general, and this new phase in particular. He also stressed the excellence of cooperation relations in general and scientific relations in particular between Germany and Cameroon, underlining in passing the strong presence of Cameroonian students in German academic institutions. Mr. L'Ambassadeur then praised the initiative of organizing this phase of the Denkfabrik on such an important theme for Africa in particular. Before handing over the floor, he expressed the hope that the exchanges would be rich and that they would contribute to a better understanding of the challenge of urbanization in Africa.

Prof. Simo, who then took the floor and moderated the seminar, briefly presented the rationale before introducing the participants. He then introduced the first speaker, Prof. Wilfried Mbacham, lecturer at the University of Yaoundé I and researcher at the Biotechnology Centre and Faculty of Medicine of the University of Yaoundé I. Prof. Mbacham entitled his talk "Gold and Poison in urban Dumster". Among other things, he showed how humanity in general and Africa in particular are paying the price of industrialization, which is creating a growing mass of waste that is poisoning nature, with the nature and form of this waste changing over time. He also described waste management as a juicy business opportunity. He went on to explain the process of garbage formation, the main causes of garbage-related problems, and techniques for profitable, non-polluting garbage management. He concluded that good waste management is a source of income and development, hence the phrase "Where you see dirt, I see Opportunity and Gold". The speaker then faced a series of questions, mainly concerning the transition from waste to gold, i.e. the valorization of waste.

The second presentation was given by Prof. Ernst Uken, emeritus of the Cape Peninsula University of Technology and the South-Africa Energy Institute, and one of the world's leading energy experts. Prof. Uken's presentation was entitled "Meeting challenges of Urbanization in South Africa". This second presentation began with an overview of the global urbanization phenomenon, before focusing on South Africa's challenges, including the growing demand for energy, the options available for energy supply, and short- and long-term solutions to shortages. It was noted, for example, that by 2050, 64% of South Africa will be urbanized, that Africa has the fastest urbanization rate in the world, and that 200 million Africans live in slums. He then listed a number of problems generated by rapid urbanization, including the growth of shanty towns, the arrival of unskilled migrant workers in cities, environmental risks, health problems and famine, and crime. Prof. Uken then turned to the specific case of South Africa, a country that is 2/3 urbanized. He cited mismanagement, nepotism, corruption and poor governance as reasons for the failure to manage urbanization. This was followed by a series of remarks on South Africa's current energy supply and related problems. This second presentation, which was also followed by a question-and-answer session, ended with these remarks and a few proposed solutions.

After the coffee break, the third presentation of the day was given by Dr. Heather Marco-Gade from the Department of biological Sciences at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Her presentation was entitled "Earth Power for Africa". The topic was sustainable agriculture in Africa, and the techniques required for this type of agriculture, which involves large-scale farming. The speaker spoke in turn about the current state of agriculture in Africa in general and South Africa in particular, and the potential and role of science in the development of sustainable agriculture and food security. The methods discussed include the use of pesticides of animal origin, derived from specific animal hormones. Examples of so-called bio-rational pesticides were cited, before Dr. Marco described the process by which insect neuropeptide hormones are obtained as pesticides, and concluded. She then took questions from the audience.

Prof. Iddi Hamadi Boga from the Botany Department of the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology in Kenya began his presentation on urbanization in Kenya by outlining the history of this phenomenon in the country. He then cited a few examples of laws passed in Kenya in an attempt to regulate urbanization, before underlining their ineffectiveness. His talk then moved on to the challenges of rampant urbanization in Kenya, before turning to possible solutions for better management of this phenomenon. According to Prof. Hamadi, this means reversing the trend, for example by making the countryside attractive. Prof. Hamadi was quick to point out the lack of pragmatism in the management of regions in Kenya and other African countries, in contrast to a country like Germany, where he believes federalism is more conducive to development. He showed the other side of urbanization in Kenya, where large cities are expanding rapidly and giving rise to major metropolises such as Mombassa and Nairobi, but also where the phenomenon of shantytowns is very marked. The challenges facing the Kenyan authorities include the fight against slums, crime, terrorism, lack of housing, traffic problems, water and energy supply, waste treatment, pollution problems, etc.... The series of questions that followed allowed for an enriching exchange between participants and other guests.

The final presentation of the day came from Germany, by Prof. Jens Gebauer of the Hochschule Rhein-Waal. The theme was "Agriculture in urban and peri-urban areas". Prof. Gebauer began by introducing himself to the audience, giving a brief overview of his academic career, which has taken him to various countries in Europe and Africa. He then focused on Sudan and Niger, two countries in the Sahelian zone of Africa.  

 He then turned to Sudan, highlighting the challenges facing a country with a rapidly growing population. He explained the country's difficulties in the field of agriculture by the scarcity of exploitable land, and the difficulty of access to water. He went on to emphasize Sudan's biodiversity, and the Sudanese government's efforts to extend the capacity of arable land and improve access to water, a very scarce commodity in the region. With regard to Niger, which he described as the poorest country in the world, he described the country's natural resources as insufficient for its growing population, pointing out that Niamey alone has a population of 900,000. But he also pointed out that agriculture here is highly intensive, in the sense that arable land is farmed relentlessly. He then went on to present the country's biodiversity. He then went on to present the country's biodiversity. He also presented new and modern methods for more efficient agriculture, which he himself had tried out, and concluded by showing the results obtained in the field. This last presentation, which was much appreciated and discussed, brought the seminar to a close, providing an opportunity to note the great similarity of urbanization problems in different African countries. The seminar participants were then invited to lunch in a local restaurant.

By Constantin Sonkwé