The PartnerAfrika project , which we launched three years ago in cooperation with the Baden-Württemberg Business Association (UBW), sequa gGmbH , the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), has made an important contribution to the socio-ecological transformation of companies in Ghana.
Sustainability through education
Over the past few years, we have successfully trained three cohorts of engineering students in the areas of energy efficiency, environmental management, occupational safety, and quality management. This was achieved through a practice-oriented course offering developed in cooperation with our project partner, the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
Local businesses train and raise awareness
Together with the Ghanaian business association Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), quarterly cluster meetings were organized in Accra, the Ghanaian capital. These meetings provided companies with training and awareness-raising opportunities on sustainability, energy efficiency, and occupational safety. Furthermore, the meetings offered companies a platform for networking and exchanging ideas. Over the course of the project, more than 100 companies took advantage of the services offered by the PartnerAfrika project.
Bringing together theory and practice
The project partners KNUST, AGI, and Arqum launched an internship program that enabled over 200 students from three university cohorts to gain practical experience in companies and directly apply their acquired knowledge. As part of their internship reports, the students developed proposed measures to improve, for example, energy efficiency within the companies. This resulted in a direct and sustainable collaboration between educational institutions and businesses.
Delegation trip of Ghanaian project participants to Germany
In January 2025, a delegation from Ghana traveled to Germany to visit local companies and organizations. The aim of this trip was to further promote the transfer of knowledge on sustainability topics, expand the network, and explore opportunities for cooperation – such as exchange programs and partnerships.
The delegation, consisting of representatives from AGI, KNUST, and companies active in the Sustainability Cluster, visited ESTA Absaugtechnik Apparatebau GmbH & Co. KG, Herbold Meckesheim GmbH, and Korn Recycling GmbH in Germany. At these companies, our project partners were able to experience the development and application of state-of-the-art environmental technology firsthand.
Other stops included the Baden-Württemberg Entrepreneurs Association, the Baden-Württemberg Business Education Center, and the Baden-Württemberg Guarantee Bank, where financing projects were discussed.
The strategic meeting with representatives of Reutlingen University opened up opportunities for exchange programs and partnerships with Ghanaian academia and industry.
Project completion of the PartnerAfrica project
After three successful years, the closing ceremony of the PartnerAfrica project took place at KNUST University on February 4, 2025. Students from the second and third cohorts received their certificates of completion.
On February 6, 2025, the final meeting of the sustainability cluster within the project took place at the Coconut Grove Hotel in Accra. Seth Twum-Akwaboah, CEO of AGI, emphasized during the event that "the work of the sustainability cluster and the resulting cooperation with KNUST will continue even after the project ends, but that the responsibility now lies more with the companies themselves to commit to sustainability issues."
