ICAT PROJECT - An academia partnership to develop sustainable construction, urban and regional planning

Benin has engaged in a raft of major public policies in order to pursue the transformation of its economy and its’ socioeconomic development, as well as to further the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The policies focus more specifically on implementing major structural changes in strategic sectors such as the “living environment, infrastructure and transport”, on promoting quality education that fosters scientific and technical subjects, as well as on deploying Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

The ICAT project aims to structure a long-term strategic partnership for higher education training courses at the Université nationale des sciences, technologies, ingénierie et mathématiques (UNSTIM) in Benin: a Bachelor’s/Licence, Master’s and PhD/Doctorate programme in Building and Public Works  and Geomatics. This quality training is job-oriented and attractive at the national and international levels. The ambition? Train technicians and experts in the field of sustainable construction and urban and regional planning to better tackle the challenges linked to the ecological transition.

The project was selected for the second edition of the “Academia Partnerships Africa-France” programme (PeA). It is financed by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs via the Agence française de développement (AFD). The PeA programme is implemented by the Agence nationale de la recherche (ANR – French National Research Agency) and Campus France with support from the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research.

This project contributes to the achievement of the following  Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):  

• Co-build quality, job-oriented training programmes on the African continent (SDG 4).
• Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable (SDG 11).