Developing Sustainable and Entrepreneurial Villages through Educational Living Labs in Namibia and Zambia

Project period

1.1.2024 - 30.11.2026

Project funding

Erasmus+ 2021-2027

The project aims to reform and develop new innovative approaches and initiatives for 1) entrepreneurship education in target HEIs and 2) for community development by bringing access to informal and formal education and training tools through technological platforms by establishing Smart Village Living Labs in rural villages in Zambia and in Namibia. The consortium consists of two Zambian and two Namibian partner HEIs and four European universities. The project introduces and implements innovative teaching and learning methods by European partners in order to increase teamwork among students, practical skills of entrepreneurship and to foster better problem-solving skills in target HEIs and rural villages. Secondly, the project co-develops new and/or existing entrepreneurship formal and informal course contents, considering both generic and specific entrepreneurial competencies needed for specific fields of businesses and contexts. The project establishes four innovative learning environments (“Smart Village Living Labs”) in Zambia and in Namibia to increase access to education also among the disadvantaged and the most vulnerable groups (women, youth, people with disabilities or diseases) by offering both formal and informal education through Living Labs. The target HEIs integrate and develop closer collaboration with the local start-ups to contribute to sustainable jobs and growth and to increase employability. Informal “short courses” of entrepreneurship reach those people via Living Labs that have difficulties getting access to formal degree education from target HEIs. The project contributes to the capacity building of target HEIs by introducing innovative and collaborative learning methods, increasing digital inclusion and inclusiveness, increasing practical and problemsolving skills of entrepreneurship and co-developing new, innovative entrepreneurship course contents

to fit to the needs of African partner universities.

Takes place in project

Official project websites: www.smartvillelivinglabs.com

Project started on January 2024, kick-off meeting was held on 16th of January, 2024 via online meeting with all partners.

Link to the Kick-off meeting post in Linkedin:

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7153737252823588865/

Link to the media blog: https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/en/lab-is-expanding-its-africa-related-capacity-building-projects-in-the-field-of-entrepreneurship/

Partners visited LAB campus Lappeenranta on March 2024. Link to Linkedinn post concerning the week: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7171889630185832449/

Link to the blog related to partners visit to LAB campus/Lappeenranta: https://blogit.lab.fi/labfocus/en/smartville-project-partners-visited-lab/

The project aims to reform and develop new innovative approaches and initiatives for 1) entrepreneurship education in target HEIs and 2) for community development by bringing access to informal and formal education and training tools through technological platforms by establishing Smart Village Living Labs in rural villages in Zambia and Namibia. Project sub-objectives are:

1) To introduce and implement innovative teaching and learning methods by European partners in order to develop better teamwork among students, practical skills of entrepreneurship and to foster better problem-solving skills in target HEIs and rural villages

2) To co-develop new and existing entrepreneurship course contents and collaborative learning methods of Zambian and Namibian Universities with the European partner universities

3) To co-create new innovative learning environments (“Smart Village Living Labs”) to increase access to education also among the disadvantaged and most vulnerable groups (women, youth, people with disabilities or diseases) by offering both formal and informal education through Living Labs
Project contributes primarily to SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 4 (quality education) through the co-development of innovative entrepreneurship education and by establishing Living Labs. Informal short courses related to entrepreneurship are targeted for those who do not have access to formal degree education, and they can be offered via Living Labs in rural villages. Learning contexts (WP 6) are co-developed together with the European partners so that they identify both generic entrepreneurial competencies and more specific entrepreneurial competencies needed for a specific field of business and company type (e.g., agricultural

cooperatives).

Project contributes also indirectly to SDG 5 (gender equality) as the project improves women´s access to education through Living Labs in rural areas. The project also indirectly contributes to SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 13 (climate action) as Living Labs are provided and tested. The Living Labs provide a technological infrastructure which is environmentally friendly, sustainable, and affordable with solar home systems or community grid – centralized small scale solar off-grid microgrids. By delivering the needed technological infrastructure, the villages will have improved comprehensive access to education, interactions, and marketplaces, which increases students´ links to labour markets. This helps to achieve sustainable growth and jobs in rural regions. In addition, sustainability actions are also co-developed and integrated in the entrepreneurship courses, which means that project also indirectly impacts SDG 15 (life on land), and 12 (responsible consumption and production). The project contributes also to SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals) as the project is a joint international collaboration between partners from Zambia, Namibia, Germany, and Finland and which strengthens the means for global partnerships.