Africa Continental Meeting21st November 2011

Kerkrade, The NetherlandsFacilitated by Dick Kachilonda

Continental Review Meeting Rhodes University Grahamstown

This meeting included a review and capacity building process. It included one day of story sharing from RCE’s & 2 days of RCE capacity building.

Output: A resource for RCE’s capacity building in Africa: Focal areas: Transformative learning ,Governance & mgt., collaboration & partnerships, research & development.

Notes: A resource for capacity building resource for RCE’s in Africa was agreed upon including: transformative learning, Governance & mgt., collaboration & partnership research & dev. capacity building and so on. These continental meetings should happen on an annual basis. The next one is planned for 11-14 Sept 2012 Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa. We also propose that the 8th Annual RCE meeting occur in Africa!

Some Outcomes of our discussions here at Kerkrade

RCE’s are enabling Universities in Africa to connect with people and society needs.

We should agree on areas of research that RCE’s can collaborate on.

Strategies for future RCE Collaboration

A UNU publication focusing on themes and possibilities – what makes our African RCE’s different and special

Side events in other conferences e.g. EEASA annual meeting and workshop at Rhodes University, Grahamstown from the 11-14 September 2012 (All welcome!!).

Questions we ask ourselves:How can we make sure that we have innovative

responses and do not simply perpetuate what the government is doing?

A focus on local and small issues may be a wise approach.

The question was asked whether RCE’s become a service provider, a networking forum, an activity based cooperative?

The proposed RCE orientation manual should have an ‘African’ orientation that:

• strengthens African resilience and • helps make solutions ‘with’ people at the

grass-roots rather than working ‘on’ the people at the grass-roots!

Further Strategies for future RCE Collaboration

A strategy for the production of case stories – decide on constituents and allow people to share and grow – ‘shopping and incubation’ space for innovation and change.

Africa has the highest poverty, lowest carbon footprint and some of the highest biodiversity in the world! How can we strengthen this situation?

The proposal was also made to host the 8th Global RCE conference in Africa. The decision about the venue will be decided later.

A low-carbon economy with indicators of tangible change should be reported at this meeting.

This could then build towards the 2014 - end of the UN DESD.

Thank you