Africa is a continent rich in vast natural resources – especially oil, gas and minerals and this has been responsible in some great degree for the rapid development and economic growth of the continent in the last decade even though this has not translated to reduced poverty and hunger, or improved health and education.
Sub-Saharan Africa has a population of over 1 billion people and this is estimated to double by 2050. Of this population, over 47% lives on less than $1.25 per day, while over 80% of Africans have no access to electricity especially in the rural areas. With increasing population, there are huge impacts on housing, land use, population, unemployment, waste management and ready access to low-cost energy.
With dependence on biomass burning in the form of fuel-wood in the rural areas and dependence on oil and gas in the cities, energy security and sustainability in Africa is under threat with both having significant impacts on the environment. With the fall in oil prices in recent times, there has been a major hit on most African economies and a new agenda promoting the development of other African resources particularly: its fertile land, its extensive fisheries and forests, and the energy and development of skills and capacity of the African people for increased innovation to solve its problems. In addition to this, the global agenda on sustainability is having significant implications on how African government develop wealth for its people with due consideration for the management of the environment.
In order to bridge these gaps to take advantage of the opportunities in the management of the environment in Africa, every year, several thousand Africans come to the UK to study for post-graduate programs whether self-funded or through a scholarship scheme. There is increased competition for international students and adding value to their studies is a good way to engage them. Therefore, an opportunity to provide a platform for interaction, the sharing of their research outputs and experiences, and the development of research partnerships, would be a great advantage to the African post-graduate community. This is the basis for the APCOSE event which has been jointly designed by the Lancaster University Graduate School for the Environment and Envirofly Consulting UK Limited.
