Africa Engineering Week 2025: Local Innovations Lighting a Path for Sustainable Development

Last Updated 3 months ago by Kenya Engineer

As the 2025 edition of Africa Engineering Week gets underway in Munyonyo, Uganda (September 14–20), the continent’s engineering community finds itself at a crossroads. Under the theme “Engineering Innovations for Sustainable Development in Africa,” this year’s gathering takes place against a sobering backdrop: two new reports—the Global Engineering Capability Review (GECR 2025) and Engineers in Africa (EFA) 2025—have unveiled just how deeply systemic challenges threaten Africa’s engineering future.

The statistics are stark. In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, there are fewer than two engineers per 10,000 people, compared to a global average of 50. These shortages are not merely academic—they manifest in collapsing bridges, stalled energy projects, and gaps in safety standards. Without urgent reforms, the continent risks falling further behind in meeting its infrastructure and sustainable development needs.

Yet, alongside these challenges, a series of local success stories are shining through, offering hope and a clear direction for the future. Case studies from Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana illustrate that while the problems are regional and systemic, the seeds of the solution already exist on African soil.

Uganda: Raising Standards, Expanding Opportunities

At the forefront in Uganda is Prof. Dorothy Okello, Dean of the School of Engineering at Makerere University and a tireless advocate for women engineers. She leads efforts to decentralize access to engineering education, align curricula with national development priorities, and strengthen professional regulation. Alongside this, initiatives are underway to grow the pipeline of women engineers, embedding them in leadership roles in digital transformation and beyond.

Complementing this push is Immaculate Makwo, Executive Secretary of the Uganda Institution of Professional Engineers (UIPE). She has spearheaded a landmark project that trained workers from over 70 companies in occupational safety and health, raising national compliance standards and championing a permanent safety inspection programme. These initiatives demonstrate how governance, education, and workforce development can combine to address systemic risks.

Kenya: Bridging Academia and Industry

Kenya’s engineering community is showing how partnerships can transform the workforce. At Strathmore University, Dr. Julius Butime heads the University-Industry Partnership on Enhancing Power Sector Skilling in East Africa (UIPEP EA). This initiative has birthed a specialized Master’s in Power Systems and short courses now adopted across five universities—bridging the gap between academic learning and the power industry’s real needs.

Meanwhile, Jack Campbell Clause and the Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) are advancing a different but equally crucial agenda: embedding professional development for local engineers directly into live urban infrastructure projects. From Kibera to other urban settlements, their work ensures young engineers gain hands-on experience, with training recognized in national professional development frameworks. This approach not only builds technical skills but also roots engineering solutions in community needs.

Nigeria: Empowering Women in Engineering

In Nigeria, the gender gap in engineering is being tackled head-on by Felicia Agubata, founder of the SheEngineer programmes. Her initiatives, including SheEngineer – Invent It, Build It and the SheEngineer 30% Club, are pioneering mentorship, training, and advocacy platforms that create clear entry points and leadership pathways for women in engineering. By working with industry partners, the initiative embeds diversity in hiring and promotion while pushing for systemic, long-term reforms across Nigeria’s engineering workforce.

Agubata underscores the need for a regional response: “Africa’s engineering gaps are regional, not just national. We need cooperation, standards and long-term investment to close them.”

Ghana: Engineering for the Future

At Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr. Samuel Mensah is leading efforts to integrate AI, ICT, and STEM training into engineering education while strengthening industry-academia collaboration. His work has positioned KNUST as a UNESCO Centre of Excellence and expanded female enrolment in engineering. By bridging the academic-industrial divide, Mensah is preparing the next generation of engineers for Africa’s manufacturing and agro-processing sectors.

The Way Forward: Scaling What Works

The Engineers for Africa Report (EFA 2025) identifies five key priorities to close Africa’s engineering gap:

1. Link academia with industry to ensure graduates are job-ready.

2. Standardise education and registration across countries to improve mobility and compliance.

3. Upskill and hire local engineers to reduce dependency on external consultants.

4. Support women’s participation and leadership in engineering.

5. Plan now for future skills in AI, climate resilience, and digital infrastructure.

These steps, while ambitious, are not abstract ideals—they are already being piloted in countries across the continent. The challenge now is to scale them regionally, with the support of stronger governance, smarter regulation, and coordinated investment.

Engineering Africa’s Future

As African Engineering Week 2025 convenes policymakers, academics, industry leaders, and professional bodies, the urgency of the moment is clear. Africa’s development depends on resilient infrastructure, safe systems, and innovative solutions. But achieving these goals requires engineers—well-trained, well-supported, and empowered by the right systems.

The continent’s future is being designed in classrooms, labs, and communities across Africa. From Kampala to Nairobi, Lagos to Accra, the innovations are there. What remains is to ensure they do not remain isolated case studies, but instead form the backbone of a continent-wide movement towards sustainable development.