General News
German Varsities Welcome Pan-African University Students for Summer School
The first cohort of students of the Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences, including Climate Change (PAUWES) attended a Summer School in Germany organized from July 17 to 31.
The summer school was organized in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the Institute for Technology and Resources Management in the Tropics and Subtropics (ITT) at the Cologne University of Applied Sciences, the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) and the Center for Development Research (ZEF) of the University of Bonn.
During these two weeks, the 26 African students were given the opportunity to receive training from highly qualified faculty and had access to the state-of-the-art facilities of the German partner universities.
In addition, the students visited significant sites for the water and energy sector, including the Jülich Solar Tower, the Heimbach Hydropower Plant and Cologne Flood Management Center (SteB).
Furthermore, the German-Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Algérie) also organised a range of activities including a visit of Protarget, one of the numerous German companies which are active in the energy and water sectors and are looking to future recruits from the next generation of experts.
For Djamel, 23, from Algeria, this Summer School has been the most rewarding experience of his entire academic journey.
“This study trip to Germany exceeded my expectations. The programme was very intense but it was worth it. All the professors were very friendly and the workshops, the excursions and lab experiments were really interesting”, said the young Algerian. Djamel is one of the three students staying in Germany after the Summer School as they were offered internship positions at ITT.
“In Africa and in the rest of the world, we can clearly observe the effects of climate change. Replacing fossil fuels by renewable energy is part of the solution. In that respect, Africa has an important role to play as it has significant renewable energy resources. However, in order for the continent to harness its green energy potential, it needs to have highly qualified young people who have the capacity to use the latest technologies and who share an ambitious vision for their continent. This is the role of PAUWES within the African continent: we are training the next generation of global-minded experts to tackle local and global problems, such as climate change, energy and water supply.
“It is this constant exchange of people and ideas that makes our Institute so unique on the continent. Of course, this amazing project would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our African and international partners. As Kofi Annan said, “cooperation and partnership are the only routes that offer any hope for a better future for all humanity”. At PAUWES, we are fortunate enough to be supported by Germany and Algeria, which are among the most advanced countries in the sectors of renewable energy and water science, as well as climate change,” said Professor Abdellatif Zerga, Director of PAUWES Institute.
Earlier this year, PAUWES held its first International Symposium which was attended by academics and researchers from all over Europe, Africa and beyond.
Further activities are already scheduled for the next academic year, including the organisation of events (webinars, open lectures, etc.) and the introduction of the social and professional exchange platform.
A winter school is even planned in Tlemcen, Algeria for November.
PAUWES currently has 26 students from 12 African countries studying as part of the first cohort on its MScs in Water and in Energy.
These world-class graduate programmes, which will from next academic year offer dual tracks in engineering and policy, provide students with a broad foundation in theory and practical skills which equip them to continue to PhD level or pursue a career in water, energy or climate change solutions.
The next academic year will start in September 2015 with a new class of 50 students in both the engineering and policy tracks.
The Pan African University Institute of Water and Energy Sciences (including Climate Change) (PAUWES) is hosted by the University of Tlemcen, Algeria.
The institute was founded by the African Union Commission as part of PAU. In partnership with the German government, the Institute offers graduate students access to leading academic research and the latest theoretical and hands-on training in areas vital to the future of African development – water, energy and the challenge of climate change.
Supported by the integrated PAU network, which include PAU institutes in Kenya, Nigeria, Cameroon and Southern Africa, PAUWES attracts renowned international faculty and highly qualified students from across the African continent.
The German Government (with GIZ, KFW and DAAD) is the Key and Thematic Partner, providing financial, technical and administrative support to the project.
Dangote Petroleum Refinery is reportedly nearing completion of a $2.5 billion private placement that values the company at about $40 billion ahead of its planned public listing.
Private placement is the direct sale of company shares or bonds to pre-selected investors instead of the general public and it is used to raise money quickly while avoiding strict public reporting rules.
People familiar with the transaction said investors acquired as much as 6 per cent of the refinery, according to a BusinessDay report.
The reported terms would value the business at approximately $40 billion.
Neither Dangote Group nor the refinery has publicly announced the final amount raised, the identities of most subscribers or the precise percentage sold.
The figures should therefore be treated as transaction details supplied by unnamed sources rather than confirmed company disclosures.
The reported $2.5 billion total is nevertheless significant as it indicates strong demand for exposure to a privately controlled refinery that has rapidly become central to Nigeria’s fuel supply and an increasingly important exporter of petroleum products.
The placement was said to have attracted more demand than the available shares, allowing the company to secure substantially more than the amount initially associated with the fundraising exercise.
Femi Otedola, chairman, First HoldCo, is the only major participant publicly identified in the report.
He reportedly committed $100 million to the transaction and sold his investment in Geregu Power Plc to finance the acquisition.
Nigeria’s pension industry was also reportedly cleared to participate.
Access to more than $17 billion in retirement assets would broaden the refinery’s potential investor base beyond wealthy individuals and conventional institutional buyers.
Participation by Pension Fund Administrators would, however, require careful attention to valuation, liquidity and portfolio-concentration limits.
Retirement funds must balance the attraction of a large Nigerian industrial asset against their responsibility to protect contributors’ savings.
The implied $40 billion valuation represents investor expectations about the refinery’s future earnings rather than only the physical cost of constructing the facility.
Its ability to process 650,000 barrels of crude daily gives it a central role in supplying Nigeria and other markets, but its commercial performance remains connected to crude availability, product prices, exchange rates and regulation.
The refinery has struggled to obtain all the Nigerian crude it requires under the government’s naira-for-crude arrangement.
It has consequently purchased some feedstock internationally and recently moved local petroleum-product pricing into dollars to align sales revenue more closely with its foreign-currency expenses.
Those constraints will be important during any public offering.
Prospective shareholders will want greater clarity on crude-supply contracts, debt, operating margins, export revenue and the company’s relationship with Nigerian regulators.
It is also unclear whether the private placement involved newly issued shares, a sale by existing owners or a combination of both.
That distinction determines whether the reported $2.5 billion becomes fresh capital for the refinery or proceeds received by selling shareholders.
The transaction could provide a useful price reference for the planned initial public offering.
Federal government will next month launch Nigeria’s first national organized crime strategy to strengthen the country’s response to terrorism, cybercrime, human and drug trafficking, kidnapping, illicit financial flows, and other forms of organized crime.
Major General Adamu Laka, national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre under the Office of the National Security Adviser, disclosed this in Abuja during the validation of the strategy document.
He said the strategy provides a coordinated national framework for tackling organized crime through improved intelligence sharing, stronger collaboration among security agencies, and closer cooperation with the criminal justice system, civil society organizations, and international partners.
Major General Laka explained that the document was developed through a partnership involving the Federal Government, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the United States Government, and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Cheikh Toure, UNODC representative, said the strategy would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to combat transnational crimes, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, human trafficking, kidnapping, and illicit financial flows.
Also speaking, Douglas Grane, acting director of the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, reaffirmed the U.S. government’s support for Nigeria’s efforts to tackle organized crime through stronger inter-agency and international cooperation.
Representatives of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit, and the National Cyber Security Centre also endorsed the initiative, describing it as a major step towards improving Nigeria’s fight against organized crime.
FATE Foundation, with funding from the Citi Foundation, has launched the Youth Entrepreneurship Incubation Programme to equip young people in Nigeria with financial literacy and entrepreneurship skills.
Delivered through free, safe, and accessible platforms, the programme supports the incubation and scaling of youth-led enterprises, enabling income generation and job creation.
In October 2025, FATE Foundation was selected as a recipient of Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge to Accelerate Youth Employability. Joining the cohort of 50 organisations globally, the Foundation will receive $500,000 over two years to advance its youth employability initiative.
“We are excited to be selected for Citi Foundation’s 2025 Global Innovation Challenge,” said Ayomide Akindolie-Igwe, Executive Director of FATE Foundation.
“This support enables us to equip young entrepreneurs in Nigeria with the financial literacy and skills needed to build and scale sustainable businesses.”
The programme addresses youth employability by tackling Africa’s growing jobs crisis. By 2030, the African continent will be home to 40% of the world’s youth, and with one in three under 35 already unemployed, this initiative will support Nigerian youth with a two-phase approach. It begins with financial literacy training before progressing to entrepreneurship development, incubation support, and access to tools needed to build viable, job-creating businesses.
“Through this innovative initiative, FATE Foundation is supporting low-income Nigerian youth to develop essential financial and entrepreneurial skills using accessible platforms.
“This support is not just helping individuals to succeed; it is building a solid foundation for sustainable enterprises that will drive job creation and contribute significantly to our nation’s economic vitality. This initiative is empowering and investing in the future of Nigeria, one youth at a time,” said Nneka Enwereji, MD/CEO Citibank Nigeria Limited.
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