Pursuing Sustainable Development in Africa. The Role of Engineering and Policy Frameworks

This paper addresses some key issues towards sustainable engineering within Africa.

One of the most debatable and relevant issues in contemporary times, Sustainable Development is becoming the need of the hour. Selfishly pursuing modernization, humans have frequently compromised with the requirements of a more sustainable environment. As a result, the increased environmental depletion is evident with the prevalence of deforestation, pollution, greenhouse gases, climate change etc. The major question that is asked is, how can a continent with over 1.2 billion people pursue development without degrading the environment? Answering this question requires that the ability to create a truly sustainable economic development within these African continents requires a true engineering mindset within policy frameworks as well as strategy development and execution within Africa. Unfortunately, the practice of engineering in Africa has often acted in contrast with the requirement of sustainable engineering practice in African society creating a doubt on our ability to achieve the green engineering initiative.

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Sustainable Engineering Issues
• Material Deployment in Sustainable Engineering in Africa
• Engineering education in African context
• The need for Cross Border Collaboration
• Aligning Engineering Issues with National Agenda

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This paper aims to address key issues towards sustainable engineering practices within Africa, focusing on the need to reconcile engineering development with environmental sustainability. The paper highlights the challenges of resource depletion, environmental degradation, and the need for a shift towards green engineering initiatives.

• The need for a sustainable engineering approach in Africa.
• The role of material selection in achieving sustainable engineering goals.
• The importance of engineering education and skill development for a sustainable future.
• The benefits of cross-border collaboration among African engineers.
• The need for aligning engineering practices with national development agendas.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

• Introduction: This section establishes the context of the paper by emphasizing the need for sustainable development in Africa, considering the environmental impact of engineering practices. It highlights the challenges of achieving sustainable development without degrading the environment and underscores the importance of integrating sustainable engineering principles into policy frameworks and project implementation.
• Sustainable Engineering Issues: This section explores the environmental challenges associated with engineering activities in Africa, including resource depletion, pollution, and ecosystem degradation. It highlights the urgent need for a paradigm shift towards sustainable engineering practices to minimize environmental impact and ensure long-term sustainability.
• Material Deployment in Sustainable Engineering in Africa: This section focuses on the importance of sustainable material selection in engineering projects. It discusses the environmental implications of traditional materials like concrete and plastics, advocating for the use of more environmentally friendly alternatives. The challenges of balancing project feasibility, cost, and environmental impact are also addressed.
• Engineering Education in African Context: This section examines the role of engineering education in promoting sustainable engineering practices. It highlights the need for curriculum reform to develop engineers with broader skillsets beyond technical abilities. The importance of incorporating green engineering principles into education and promoting continuous learning for engineers is emphasized.
• The need for Cross Border Collaboration: This section stresses the importance of cross-border collaboration among African engineers to enhance capacity building, competitiveness, and innovation. It highlights the need for sharing knowledge, developing local expertise, and promoting collaborative solutions to engineering challenges.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Sustainable engineering, Africa, green engineering, material selection, engineering education, cross-border collaboration, national development, environmental impact.

Details

• Author: Stephen Kingsley Nkatia (Author)
• Pages: 8
• Catalog Number: V1361667
• ISBN (eBook): 9783346886446
• Language: English
• Tags: pursuing sustainable development africa role engineering policy frameworks