The PAUWES-MDE Learning Alliance

The PAUWES Mini-grid Digitalization Entrepreneurship Learning Alliance (PAUWES – MIDELA) is a framework that will be built around the PAUWES-MDE for the promotion and dissemination of its modules and entire curriculum across the continent. It will:• Allow member universities and institutions to have free access to the modules offered, and adopt

the entire curriculum or individual modules in their respective curricula.• Introduce an additional capacity building programme with the ‘training of trainers’ component

to develop new experts within partner institutions.

To join the Alliance please visit: https://pauwes-mde.org/alliance/

The ConsortiumThe Pan African University Institute for Water and Energy Sciences (including Climate Change) (PAUWES) is one of the five hubs of the Pan African University; an initiative of African Union Commission to create excellence and revitalize higher education and research in Africa. Part of its core mandate is to enhance the development of programmes in this area. PAUWES capitalises on the youth’s potential by developing their capacities through education, leading to entrepreneurship and the creation of start-ups. Consequently, this fosters employability on the continent.

The Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI) is an international non-profit organisation founded on the recommendation of the United Nations Task Force on ICT. GESCI is an accredited online training provider specializing in developing curricula and skills programmes that promote entrepreneurship. It envisions a world with widespread use of digital technologies to achieve a higher level of inclusiveness and equality, making use of ICT in the provision of services, including skills development for youth enterprise and employment.

ContactsDr. Erick Gankam Tambo Project Coordinator

tambo@ehs.unu.edu +213 665 6643 00 +49 179 9920115

Ms. Angela Arnott Project Support

angela.arnott@gesci.org+27 761712287 +12028520746

DonorsThe project is funded under the Transforming Energy Access Learning Partnership (TEA-LP).

The PAUWES Minigrid, Digitalization Entrepreneurship (PAUWES-MDE) is a new online postgraduate programme the Pan African University Institute for Water and Energy Sciences (including Climate Change) (PAUWES) developed with the support of the Global e-Schools and Communities Initiative (GESCI) with the aim of strengthening youths’ capacity on the continent with innovative business ideas in the mini-grid sector with technical and entrepreneurial skills for the creation of smart microgrid businesses and start-ups in Africa. It is built on an ‘entrepreneurship incubator’ curriculum which integrates actors, stakeholders and features of innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems with strengths of higher education systems to develop skills and competences for the setup of start-ups and business cases in a flexible and agile manner. PAUWES-MDE, therefore contributes to the achivement of the “One Million 2021 Initiative“ of the African Union.The programme supports the transformation needed in the energy access sector by leveraging ICT and building entrepreneurial capacity for the development of smart mini-grid start-ups across the continent. The open access approach taken by the curriculum, combined with the alliance built around the programme, will contribute to improving energy access in Africa. This will take place through the dissemination of content from the programme, and the capacity development of other African training providers, particularly universities and institutes, to customize their courses within national contexts.

https://pauwes-mde.org

PAUWES-MDEMini-grid - Digitalization - Entrepreneurship

Programme Structure

The programme is built around three layers as represented in the diagram below. The first layer in the center which is transversal, and covers innovation and enetrepreneurship skills and knowledge. it is built around two core courses and a practical internship. The second layer highlights the main functionalities of mini-grid grouped in two main clusters: Operation & Maintenance and System & Technical functionalities. It further represents the different applications of digital technologies with respect to the highlighted functionalities . Finally, the the third layer presents the different courses offered by the programme aiming at developing specific digital-based capacity and skills applicable to a specific functionality of mini-grid, in which the students would develop their entrepreneurial business cases and prototypes.

The programme will use problem based and experiential learning, following a blended approach that combines online lectures, tutorials, assignments and practical exercises.

Mentorship will be provided online and face-to-face, with experts and entrepreneurs in the sector. Additionally, practical classes (virtual labs) will help students to apply their knowledge, and given the programme’s focus on practical experience, evaluation mechanisms will include moderated self-assessment, peer review and assignment scoring.

The programme will be accessible across the contintent to young graduates using English as instruction language, with additional languages such as French planned as a future option.

Pedagocical Approach and Mode of Delivery

Incubation and EntrepreneurshipDescribed as an ‘entrepreneurship incubation model’, PAUWES-MDE links youth entrepreneurship in Africa to ICT and renewable energy by offering a programme that embeds entrepreneurial knowledge throughout its curriculum.

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

1. This module partly builds on existing courses developed by Tech-hubs from across the continent, as well as eCourses developed according to specific needs for entrepreneurial skills and knowledge.

2. Entrepreneurship is integrated into all knowledge-based modules (modules 1 and 2).

3. The Enterprise/start-up Business Thesis defence to be done before an academic panel together with the technical Prototype, Business cases of Enterprise in front of a panel of investor/venture capitalists.

Mentoring, Incubation and acceleration

1. Mentorship: Mentors from the private and entrepreneurial sphere will support the students throughout the programme by: • supervising students practical thesis;• advising students on the feasibility of their

prototype product/service;• using local experience to support students

learning with international linkages.

To be part of our pool of mentors please folllow this link: https://pauwes-mde.org/mentorship/

2. Incubation: Students will be connected to an Entrepreneurship Community (virtual incubator) built around the programme to develop their business ideas.

3. Acceleration: Upon completion of the programme, students will be linked to accelerators from local tech hubs to mature their products/start-ups.

Curriculum Structure

Module 1: Mini-Microgrid (Online) - Developing of a comprehensive set of skills necessary to successfully design, develop, manage and operate decentralized renewable energy systems

Module 2: Digitalization, ICT for Mini-Micro Grids (Online) - Provides essential skills on emerging technologies (inetrnet of things, big data, artificial intelligence, coding, etc.) in mini-grid with relevance for the African context.

Module 3: Innovation and Entrepreneurship (Blended) - Provides theoretical background to all aspects of planning, development and administration of a start-up; and an internship with the private sector.

Module 4: Business Start-up Thesis (Blended) - Focusing on the implementation of start-up business case with the development, testing and validation of a prtotype.

Core Modules Enrollment

0-3 months

3 - 6 months

6 - 9 months

9 - 12 months

The programme is built on four core modules of 3 month each which comprise of eCourses, practical labs, methodological seminars, transversal units, an internship and thesis.