About

Sustainability is a global imperative. It calls for a purpose-driven approach to development that recognizes two key social trends: population growth and rapid urbanization. This is more so in Africa where 40 percent of the world’s population are expected to call home by the year 2040. These trends will bring new challenges resulting from vast increases in demand for resources and services that include water, energy supply, habitation, security, schools, transportation infrastructure, healthcare, waste disposal, emergency response and disaster recovery, and several others.

The need to envision and create a sustainable future for Africa has never been greater and will necessarily require sustainability development strategies to work towards the goal. Key to these strategies will be new approaches to policy and governance that supports sustainable programs and behaviors. SSL will be the driver for sustainable development for Africa by fostering sustainable approaches to creating:

• An enabling environment that harnesses the tools of science and technology, policy, and capacity development, and where the brightest and smartest have the chance to innovate and create sustainability-driven solutions to the social issues in our environment.
• A regional “capacity building” establishment where efforts will be focused on research and teaching to fill existing gaps in the development of relevant technology applications and availability of human capacity.
• A practicable approach to sustainability-driven project implementation efforts through collaborations with technology and other business entities.
• A sustainability knowledge center where learning processes will be demand-informed and educators will purposefully engage with learners in direct experience and focused reflection in order to “increase knowledge, develop skills, clarify value, and develop human capacity.”