UEW Champions Green and Digital Futures in Africa Through Erasmus+ TeProD Project
The University of Education, Winneba (UEW) has taken a pioneering step towards transforming higher education across Africa by joining the TeProD project — “Improving Teachers’ and Students’ Professional Development with Twin Transition in Sub-Saharan Africa.”
The initiative to empower educators and students with 21st-century green and digital competencies was officially launched during a high-level meeting hosted by Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences in Finland from Monday to Friday, 10th–14th March , 2025.
The TeProD project, funded under the Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education (CBHE) Strand 2, brings together academic partners across three continents. Participating institutions include the Technical University of Košice (Slovakia), the University of Ghana, the International University of Management (Namibia), and four UEW scholars: Dr. Richard O. Agjei (Project Coordinator), Dr. Bright Ankudze, Prof. Ruby Hanson and Prof. Charles Assuah.
Welcoming the global partners, President Teemu Kokko of Haaga-Helia and the Director of the School of Professional Teacher Education underscored the significance of collaborative innovation in education. The week-long workshop featured a dynamic exchange of ideas on green transition, digitalisation and pedagogical innovations using AI-based tools—elements central to TeProD’s mission of defining and operationalising the "Twin Transition" in African higher education.
One of the unique highlights of the kickoff was an orientation on cutting-edge digital tools in education, including artificial intelligence, alongside an industry perspective on climate sequestration through carbon farming and afforestation in arid zones in Morocco. These sessions reflected TeProD’s dual focus on ecological sustainability and technological advancement.
UEW’s participation promises extensive benefits across multiple levels of the university. For the faculty and the Department of Health Administration and Education, the project paves the way for enriched curriculum development, access to state-of-the-art digital resources, and targeted professional development for faculty and students. More broadly, the initiative aligns with UEW’s strategic vision of becoming a leading hub for innovation and excellence in teacher education in Africa.
At the institutional level, TeProD contributes to UEW’s ongoing digital transformation by enhancing its capacity to deliver blended and online education. It also promotes the integration of sustainability practices campus-wide, resonating with global climate goals. The project strengthens UEW’s international academic footprint by fostering long-term partnerships with European universities through Erasmus+ while opening doors for student and staff exchange opportunities.
Moreover, the interdisciplinary nature of TeProD encourages collaborative research across faculties, increases the university’s eligibility for future EU funding and positions UEW as a trailblazer in green and digital education reform in Ghana and beyond.
Senior Lecturer David Mauffret’s presentation on “Professional Teacher Education with a Finnish Touch” and the introduction to the Ulysseus European University Alliance, of which TeProD is a satellite project, provided further depth to the dialogue, highlighting international best practices in teacher training.
Reflecting on the project’s kickoff, Dr. Richard O. Agjei expressed optimism about its long-term impact: “TeProD goes beyond skills training—it builds resilient institutions, nurtures globally competitive graduates and sets the pace for sustainable educational reform in Africa.”
As UEW continues to grow its global partnerships and invest in innovation-driven education, the TeProD project is a bold step towards equipping future educators and professionals with the tools to lead in a rapidly changing world.
