This presentation is part of the 5th African Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Conference in Uganda, 14-16 October 2015

1. status of African RCEs: successes,
challenges and charting the way forward
Abel Barasa Atiti (PhD)
5th
African RCE Conference, 14th
– 16th
October 2015
Entebbe, Uganda

2. The Fragile Living Planet
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That beautiful, warm, living object looked so fragile, so delicate,
that if you touched it with a finger it would crumble and fall
apart
James B. Irwin, lunar astronaut, 1930-1991 (National Space Science Data Centre)
(Source: Murray, 2011)

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Presentation
Outline

5. Status of African RCEs
 A network of existing formal, non-formal and
informal organizations
 A networked community of practice
 An RCE provides social learning characterized
by:
1. Networked governance structures
2. Implementation of collaborative ESD activities
3. Transformative learning
4. Research and development
INTRODUCTION
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5 What is an
RCE?

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An RCE network

7. Status of African RCEs
Key Features of RCEs
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8. RCEs as sites of Deliberative Dialogue
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RCE ESD projects and activities embrace the significance of
relationships, collaborative learning, networking, systemic
thinking and the roles of diversity and flexibility in fostering
sustainable communities

9. Status of African RCEs 14 October 20159

10. Status of African RCEs 14 October 201510

11. SUCCESSES
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 Translation of shared visions into regional SD
realities
 Building of local ESD knowledge base
 Capacity development for African RCE
coordinators in ESD
 Enlarged scope of ESD actions through working
together
 Consistency of continental meetings
 Consolidated efforts of all relevant actors

12. Translation of shared visions into regional
realities
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13. 13
RCE Capacity-Building workshops
Capacity-development workshops for African RCEs:
29-30 August 2011
Grahamstown, South Africa
26-30 March 2012
Howick, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
7-9 September 2012
Grahamstown, South Africa 14 October 2015Status of African RCEs

14. 14
Consistency of continental meetings
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15. Community engagement processes
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(Images: Courtesy RCE Zomba

16. Community engagement processes…
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17. Examples of Community engagement
practices
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 Engaging local communities in eco-tourism
and biodiversity conservation activities (e.g. RCE
Lesotho)
 Bee-keeping and sustainable livelihood project
(e.g. RCE Mau Ecosystem Complex)
 Cultivation of mushroom as a sustainable
source of livelihood (e.g. RCE Swaziland, RCE
Kakamega-Western)
 Community radio to share knowledge on
climate adaptation strategies (e.g. RCE Zomba)
 Training women on biogas production (e.g. RCE
Kano)

18. Engaging community in greening
initiatives
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19. Engaging youth in training camps
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20. Improving skills and employability of
youth
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 Integration of science education and entrepreneurship
into school
 Strengthening national identity of the youth
 Equipping youth with ‘marketable knowledge and skills
with sustainability practices’
 Building youth confidence and sustainability skills

21. Community engagement in water quality
monitoring
Status of African RCEs
This has contributed to:
 Increased monitoring, reporting and
documentation as well as
communication and dialogue about
water quality issues
 A deeper understanding around
complex water quality issues within
the local community
 Improved relationships between
local community and water service
provider
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22. Integrating sustainability into higher
education
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23. Reorienting curriculum processes
in schools
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 Development of new courses and learning
materials
 Professional development workshops for
teachers
 Integration of ESD into teacher training
 Enhancing literacy and numeracy in early
childhood education

24. 1. Ambivalence nature of ESD goals
2. Heterogeneity of RCEs
3. Fostering sufficient social capital
4. Enabling effective network and knowledge
management
5. Providing adequate resources
6. Lack of political will
CHALLENGES
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25.  ESD key to global dialogue about humanity’s
future
 But its ambivalence character makes it
operationally challenging
 Pursuit of ESD embodies multiple tensions and
contradictions across African RCEs
 Fostering shared visions and strategies into
continental realities not easy
Ambivalence nature of ESD goals
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26.  Multiplicity of interpretation of RCE concept
 Diverse actors from all scales and sectors of
society
 Different worldviews, interests, motivation,
relationships, power and other resources
 Coordinating continental action strategies
not easy
 SD challenges and solutions are contextual
Heterogeneity of RCEs
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27.  Trust, reciprocity, common rules, norms, sanctions
and connectedness (social capital) in RCEs
essential
 Networked governance processes require high
levels of social capital
 Deeply entrenched beliefs, values and
assumptions difficult to alter
 Emergence of conflicts, destructive opportunism
and power struggles
 Lack of guidelines and mechanisms to resolve
disputes
Fostering sufficient social capital
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28. Status of African RCEs
Ensuring networked and inclusive
nature of an RCE not easy –
communication challenges
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29.  Integrating distributed capacities within RCEs to
solve regional SD challenges not easy
 Challenges in organizing processes of interactive
learning and extensive multi-stakeholder dialogue
 Advancing partnerships across knowledge and
interdisciplinary boundaries
 Poor annual RCE reporting and dormant RCEs
Enabling effective network and
knowledge management
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31.  Not enough resources to coordinate RCEs globally
 Lack of enough resources for ESD research to
inform SD policy in a consistent manner
 Knowledge producers and knowledge consumers
do not easily interact
 Funds required for adapting, coordinating,
communicating and safeguarding exchange of
ESD experiences efficiently
 More sustainability leaders required
Providing adequate resources
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32. CHARTING THE WAY
FORWARD
Status of African RCEs
African RCEs have started scaling up
actions on multi-stakeholder engagement
processes within a post 2014 ESD agenda
to:
1.Accelerate search of sustainable solutions at the local
level
2.Transform learning and training environments
3.Advance policy through ESD/SD research and practice
4.Build capacities of educators and trainers
5.Empower and mobilize youth to address SD challenges
(UNESCO, 2014)
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33.  RCEs need to commit to concrete activities to
support GAP
 Need to mobilize diverse partnerships and
networks around GAP
 Mobilize existing funding mechanisms in education
and sustainable development for ESD activities
 RCEs need to promote ESD as a crosscutting
mechanism for the achievement of all SDGs in
Africa.
Way Forward …
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34. Thank You for Listening
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