SHAPE -Smart City Higher Education Advancement Program in East Africa

Projekt: „SHAPE“ baut gemeinsam mit Partnerunis in Ostafrika (Kenya, Somalia, Uganda) Smart-City-Lehrangebote auf. Zentral sind die Entwicklung eines (Master-)Curriculums, begleitende Open-Education-Formate und ein Train-the-Trainer-Ansatz, damit das Ganze langfristig vor Ort funktioniert.

Unsere Rolle (OVGU) – vor allem WP3: Die OVGU ist in WP3 („Building a joint academic programme for smart cities across EU and Sub-Saharan Africa“) als Co-Lead vorgesehen. Für uns relevant ist dabei besonders:
Task 3.3 „Training of trainer programme“ (M16–M20)
Hier geht es darum, das Train-the-Trainer-Programm umzusetzen und die erste Trainer*innen-Kohorte durch das EU-Team zu schulen („first cohort of ToT“). Das passt aus unserer Sicht gut zu Kursentwicklung und didaktischer Umsetzung, vllt. In Richtung IT-/Digitalperspektive (digitale Lernformate, OER, Struktur/Plattform, Trainingsdesign).

The full web page is currently under development. For further info, see below:

Summary

SHAPE presents itself as a response to the smart city crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa. Literature and needs
analyses in East Africa have shown that there are major gaps with regards to skills in university
graduates for smart cities. Delays in projects such as Konza Technopolis and Iroley City have been
mainly attributed to the lack of local skills and the lack of contextualization of the smart city concept in
Sub-Saharan Africa, not accounting for unique characteristics of African cities. By developing innovative
curricula and tailored training programs, SHAPE aims to empower graduates from universities in East
Africa to actively engage in smart city development and re-shape it into their own context, based on
what they want to see as their dream settlement. These courses will create the future African leaders in
AI & open data for smart cities, smart health, smart energy and other sectors. The project employs a
multi-method approach that leads to capacity building, co-creation of knowledge, exchange of best
practices and facilitation of innovation through strong EU-EA partnerships. SHAPE seamlessly aligns
with the EU priorities and Global Gateway for East Africa, complementing current and future
investments in digital innovation, transport corridors and renewable energy in the region. Through
equipping East African HEIs with the tools and expertise to modernize their curricula and strengthen
connections with the labor market, SHAPE fosters cross-border collaboration on a topic of major
importance for Sub-Saharan Africa. By complementing these actions with development of an EU-EA
smart city alliance and associated partners from throughout the region, the project aims at creating a
lasting impact in sustainable and socially inclusive economic growth in Kenya, Somalia and Uganda.
The SHAPE project aims to address the smart city skills gap in EA, which is part of the broader
challenge across Sub-Saharan Africa. This gap has been recognized as a key factor contributing to
delays in smart city projects, often attributed to poor governance and technical skill shortages in the
region. Additionally, as highlighted in the background section, there is a lack of applicability of the smart
city concept in the African context. SHAPE seeks to bridge this gap by combining the technical expertise
of EU partners with the local knowledge of EA partners to develop a more context-specific and
sustainable approach.
A needs analysis conducted in collaboration with partner universities confirmed the findings in the
literature. All universities reported a lack of educational courses on community engagement in a smart
city context, as well as cultural and ethical aspects of smart cities. They further highlight, that gaps in
technical expertise exist, with no trained personnel available to deliver courses on AI or sensor
technologies for smart cities. An additional 20% of universities reported being understaffed, lacking
sufficient personnel to teach these subjects. All universities, finally, mentioned that they have a lack of
continuity mechanisms, such as handbooks and tools to sustain smart city education over time. Three
universities expressed interest in developing master’s degrees, while the rest preferred to integrate
smart city courses into lifelong learning programs.
In 2024, Kenya’s national cabinet approved the use of the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) to tackle
frequent traffic congestion. The project, set to commence in 2025, will introduce an AI-powered
Transport Management Centre (TMC) integrating smart cameras, variable traffic light timing, and
centralized control systems. The system aims to eliminate human intervention in traffic control,
streamline penalty payments for offenders, provide real-time traffic and vehicle data, and enhance
emergency response in case of accidents. For ITS and similar smart city initiatives to be expanded
across the country, a trained workforce skilled in applying digital technologies to urban development is essential.