Wagon2Africa - Water Energy Food Nexus 2 Africa
- Coordinator: Politecnico di Torino
- Partner universities: LUISS “Guido Carli”, University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, University of Bologna, University of Florence, University of Foggia, University of Naples “Federico II”, University of Palermo, University of Sassari, University of Turin
- Target area: Sub-Saharan Africa, with a focus on Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
- UNIBO budget: €183,950.98
The Wagon2Africa project was developed to build a stable network between Italian and African universities, with the aim of strengthening academic cooperation and sharing best practices on the water–energy–food nexus (WEFN), one of today’s most complex and interconnected global challenges. At the heart of the project lies the urgent need to address the sustainable production and consumption of essential resources through an integrated approach that values both scientific expertise and local knowledge.
Wagon2Africa takes a multidisciplinary and cross-cutting approach, structured around four key areas: science, technology and digitalisation; economics, business and management; humanities, social sciences and law; and sustainable agri-food systems, natural resources and the bioeconomy.
Through strong international cooperation, the project seeks to foster knowledge exchange, promote innovative sustainability solutions, and enhance the cultural and environmental heritage of the African communities involved.
Its activities are organised around : international student mobility; academic staff mobility; and the delivery of advanced training programmes for graduates.
These initiatives contribute to broader efforts in ecological transition, climate change mitigation, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly in relation to food security, access to water, and clean energy.
Eastern Africa is the project’s priority geographical area, where a regional hub will be established in Nairobi (Kenya) to coordinate activities in the participating countries. The goal is to strengthen this international network, paving the way for joint degree programmes between Italian and African universities and fostering future collaborations on an even broader scale.
The Italian consortium includes ten universities—five of them located in southern Italy—with complementary expertise across the scientific, technical, social, and managerial domains. The network will include over 61 partner universities in 14 East African countries, many of which already collaborate with the Italian institutions involved. The creation of a structured network represents a decisive step towards the internationalisation of university systems and the strengthening of local training capacity.