December 16 - 17, 2024, Nairobi, Kenya – A team from the Pan African University (PAU) recently concluded a productive two-day visit to the UN-Habitat Regional Office in Nairobi, Kenya. The visit, aimed at fostering collaboration between PAU and the Policy, Legislation, and Governance Section (PLGS) of UN-Habitat, marked an important step in advancing academic partnerships and enhancing the relationship between the two institutions.

Led by Vice Rector Prof. Bolanle Akeredolu-Ale, the PAU team included Prof. Losenge Turoop, Director of the Pan African University Institute of Science and Technology (PAUSTI), and Dr. Liwina Gabsa, the outgoing Deputy Director of Pan African University Institute of Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences (PAUGHESS). They were warmly welcomed by Dr. Oumar Sylia, Director of the Regional Office for Africa, before engaging in a series of discussions with UN-Habitat’s PLGS team. The meeting was led by the Chief, PLGS, Dr Remy Sietchiping and his colleagues, Dr. Frederic Happi Mangou and Ms. Everlyne Odhiambo.

Several key areas of collaboration were agreed upon during the meeting, including:

• Promotion of internship opportunities for PAU students at UN-Habitat and other UN agencies.
• Identification and sharing of research topics with academic and real-world significance with PAU students.
• Invitation of UN-Habitat staff to serve as guest lecturers at PAU institutes.
• Joint participation in workshops, webinars, and training sessions on urban policy and governance, etc.
• Provision of publications and resources to PAU institutes.
• Collaboration on organizing international conferences, focusing on urban policy and governance.
• Access to e-learning courses offered by UN-Habitat’s Urban Policy Platform through the PAVeU platform.
• Exploration of the long-term potential for establishing a Centre of Excellence in Urban Policy and Governance in Africa.

In addition to the meetings with UN-Habitat and other agencies of the UN, the PAU team visited several other institutions in Nairobi to explore potential collaborations. At the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), they met with Prof. Andre Pascal, Director of Programs, to discuss preliminary cooperation. APHRC is a leading African research institution dedicated to improving health and development through evidence-based research.

The PAU delegation also visited the Kenya School of Government (KSG), where they met with Dr. Josephine Mwanzia and other faculty members to explore opportunities for joint certificate programs and courses via the PAVeU platform. KSG’s mandate is to enhance the skills and competencies of public officials to foster effective governance and policy implementation in Kenya.

Another highlight of the visit was the benchmarking trip to the Center of Excellence in Urban-Rural Linkages in Africa (CURLA), a collaboration between UN-Habitat and the University of Nairobi. The CURLA team, led by Prof. Isaac Karanja Nwangi, learned about CURLA’s work in urban-rural development, a model that could be replicated at PAUGHESS to address African urban policy and governance challenges.

The visit was a significant step towards strengthening partnerships between PAU and key stakeholders in urban policy, governance, human rights, ethics, climate change, public health, environment, etc, setting the stage for impactful collaborations aimed at addressing the challenges outlined in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The PAU team expressed gratitude for the warm reception at each institution and is optimistic about the future of these partnerships.