IDOS Postgraduate Programme for Sustainability Cooperation (PGP) concludes with Final Presentations on career trajectories of Kenyan and Tanzanian Agriculture graduates, Mauritius Digital Cooperation and Island Sustainability’s in Indonesia and Germany.
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At the beginning of this week, participants of the Postgraduate Programme for Sustainability Cooperation (PGP) successfully reached a significant milestone: the presentation of their final reports. These presentations marked the culmination of several weeks of intensive research stays, during which participants gathered and analysed data, demonstrating their deep engagement with pressing global sustainable development challenges.
The final presentations were well-attended and generated thoughtful discussions, highlighting the dedication and high quality of research conducted by the PGP participants. Their findings contribute to ongoing academic and policy debates and underscore the importance of interdisciplinary and practice-oriented approaches to global development challenges.
We congratulate our participants on their successful completion of the programme and look forward to their continued engagement in the field of sustainable development!
The three research teams focused on the following topics:
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Roots and Routes: Knowledge and Career Trajectories of Kenyan and Tanzanian Agriculture Graduates: This research delved into the educational backgrounds and professional paths of agriculture graduates in Kenya and Tanzania, shedding light on the factors influencing their career trajectories, employment outcomes and their contribution to the agricultural sector. The findings offered valuable insights into strengthening agricultural education and inform strategies to enhance education-to-employment pathways.
The team highlights a mismatch between the skills and competencies that graduates acquire at university and those required in their professional roles after graduation. There is a clear desire for more practical exposure during studies, including increased collaboration with farmers and research institutes. Such experiences could help bridge the gap in communication and technology skills, providing students with valuable experience and enhancing their employability.
It was particularly enriching for the research team to explore this topic in close collaboration with partner universities in two countries. This comparative approach allowed the team to develop a more nuanced understanding of the issue while gaining deeper insights into the respective country contexts.
Mauritius‘ Digital Cooperation and Engagement with External Partners: This project examined the dynamics of digital cooperation between Mauritius and external partners. Mauritius, an island nation in the Indian Ocean, has strategically positioned itself as a hub for digital innovation and technology in Africa. In recent years, the country has sought to bolster its digital infrastructure, governance and capabilities not at last through partnerships with major powers such as China, India and the European Union. With partners from the University of Mauritius, the team looked at the EU’s role in Mauritius’ data protection legislation (2017 Act), the “Safe City” surveillance project with Huawei, and India’s UPI & RuPay payment systems.
The research yielded important insights on the scope of action for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in such cooperations. While Mauritius cannot shape the rules of the digital cooperation game on its own, it exerts agency by cleverly navigating its partners‘ demands and by exploiting opportunities. In this manner, Mauritius leverages its international partnerships to achieve its interests in the digital economy.
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Sustainable Island Futures in Germany and Indonesia: This research team conducted empirical research on small islands and coastal areas, which are particularly vulnerable to climate change and its negative impacts such as sea-level rise, more frequent storm surges and saltwater intrusion. Island and coastal communities and municipalities of Indonesia and Germany are highly engaged in mitigating climate change and in developing sustainable solutions to these challenges, which could create benefits for climate change adaptation and mitigation, as well as for biodiversity conservation in the future.
The research revealed that in the context of coastal protection and population safety, biodiversity conservation is often treated as a secondary priority, even though synergies between these goals are also possible. On the Seribu Islands, rapid population growth and spatial expansion, frequently through informal land reclamation, pose significant ecological and governance challenges. In contrast, the East Frisian Islands experience demographic decline, yet continue to face housing shortages driven by tourism and restrictive spatial planning, particularly due to National Park regulations that limit settlement expansion.
