Kenyan German Centre for Mining, Environmental Engineering and Resource Management (CEMEREM)

About CEMEREM

The CEMEREM project, established as a consortium of Taita Taveta University (TTU) in Kenya, University of Applied Sciences Dresden (Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft Dresden (HTWD) and TU Bergakademie Freiberg (TU BAF) was launched in May of 2016. The project seeks to establish a DAAD African Centre of Excellence for education on Mining, Environmental Engineering and Resource Management in Partnership between Kenya and Germany. CEMEREM’s overarching objective consists in a contribution to a sustainable development of the natural resources sector in Kenya and East Africa.

Situation

Kenya is rich in natural resources, including minerals like soda ash, fluorspar, titanium, diatomite, zircon, and gemstones. At the same time, Kenya confronts environmental challenges due to rapid urbanization, industrialization, and resource exploitation. Sustainable development in the resources sector is one of the emphasis of the Kenyan government within the Kenya Vision 2030. Moreover, Kenya serves as a strategic hub in East Africa, bridging the region with the global community economically, politically, logistically, and culturally. The demand for skilled professionals in mining, environmental engineering, and resource management is growing not only in Kenya but also throughout the broader region.

CEMEREM aims to address this need by delivering high-quality education and training. The centre also promotes sustainability through collaboration with government, industry, and local communities

Specific Objectives

• Develop and/or enhance curricula at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels (B.Sc., M.Sc. and PhD)
• Educate and train a new generation of mining, process, environmental engineers, as well as resource managers for industry and government
• Provide continuous education and training for engineers and managers in the industry
• Enhance teaching and research capacity at TTU
• Integrate sustainability concepts into the education, training, research, and project activities.
• Forster networking with society, industry, and governments for sustainable socio-economic development.

Ongoing Projects

• Enhancing the quality of potable water at TTU campus
• Improving wastewater treatment at TTU campus
• Improvement of waste management at TTU campus
• Developing pilot plant for biogas production
• Implementing Agri-Photovoltaic in Taita Taveta region
• Promoting sustainable practices in small-scale mining in Taita Taveta region
• Offering short and vocational training courses to industry and government partners
• Expanding networks through CEMEREM International Biennial Conferences and Alumni Seminars

Future Outcome

• Establishment of world-class CEMEREM programmes, facilities, and qualified lecturers to sustain the training of resource engineers and managers in Africa.
• Commercialization of research laboratories and other research facilities for industry and society.
• Strengthening stakeholder networks and forming new collaborations.
• Expanding cooperation with East African universities.
• Extending short and vocational training courses to different sectors.
• Establishment of a strong partnership in applied resource management between Germany and Kenya.
• Development of a CEMEREM concept to leverage natural resources for regional wealth creation while sustaining the environment.
• Continued expansion of networking through CEMEREM International Biennial Conferences and Alumni Seminars.
• Promotion of blended learning methods through partnerships.

Programmes and How to Apply

As contributions to project outcomes related to education for students in the fields of mining and environmental engineering, until 2023, the following study programmes were completely established and accredited within the planned timeline:

• BSc Mining and Mineral Processing Engineering
• MSc Mining Engineering
• MBA Natural Resource Management
• MSc Process Engineering
• BSc Environmental Engineering
• MSc Environmental Engineering
• PhD Mining Engineering
• PhD Process Engineering
• PhD Natural Resource Management