Summer School on innovative food products, processes, and agri-business models to create sustainable and nutritious foods in Sub-Saharan Africa

This Summer School is organized under the framework of HealthyFoodAfrica project, which is a research & innovation project aiming at achieving more sustainable, equitable and resilient food systems in 10 African cities in six countries. The project is a collaborative effort by 17 partners in Europe and Africa, funded by the European Union Horizon2020 programme. 

1.  Aim of the summer school

Many actors in the food systems in Sub-Saharan Africa have great ideas on how to tackle their specific needs to increase food security and nutrition through novel food products and local initiatives. The summer school is intended to boost the innovation capacity of present and future agri-food entrepreneurs (including SMEs), project partners, academic students and actors involved in food systems, to facilitate them to develop these ideas with a major focus on sustainability and with a food system thinking approach.

2. The summer school will allow participants to:

▪  Boost knowledge on sustainability and be able to assess it with technical tools such as life cycle assessment.

▪  Foster the understanding of food system dynamics from the drivers, supply chains, consumer behaviors, and diets that are related to food security and nutrition, and assesses it thought indicators.

▪  Co-develop the capacity to design new and sustainable business models for innovative products and have training on the implementation on an actual innovative product.

3. Methodology

The summer school will be conducted virtually through online lectures, participatory workshops, and group sessions. Online video tour of an entrepreneur and food technology facility will be undertaken during one of the sessions. Training Kit (T-kit) will be used during the summer school which is an easy-to-use handbook for training and study sessions. Find in this link.

4. Facilitators

The summer school will be facilitated by a team of experienced staff from universities, research organizations and private sector from Africa and Europe.  These are Universities, organizations, and entrepreneurs from the HealthyFoodAfrica project.

5. Requirements:

Attendance to the summer school is free.

Bellow are the qualifying criteria for the participants:

a.        Applicants must be agri-food food system entrepreneurs or students aspiring to start agribusiness work

b.       Applicants must be from Ghana, Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Ethiopia, or Benin

c.        Fluency in speaking and writing in English is preferred

d.       Applicant must have their own Internet accessibility for the period of the summer school (5 days). 

e.        The applicant must have a computer, tablet, or phone which they can use to connect to virtual sessions for the 5 days

f.         Participants are encouraged to create time to attend all sessions. Those who attend all the sessions will be awarded with a certificate.

5. Number of participants

Approximately 35 to 50 students and entrepreneurs will be admitted in the summer school depending on the applicants' qualifications.

6. Period and place 

The summer school will be held online.

-Date: From the 22nd to the 26th of January 2024.

-Language: English.

Note: a central training location may be organized in Kisumu for participants to meet in one place if there are many participants.

7. Deadline of application

Applications will be received until 31^st of December 2023.

 

Applications in this Link