UNIVERSITY OF CAPE COAST

Their core work

The University of Cape Coast contributes applied agricultural research expertise focused on smallholder farming systems in West and North Africa. Their work spans agroecological practices, sustainable land and water management, and circular bio-based innovations — grounded in real field conditions across Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger, Egypt, and Tunisia. In both H2020 projects, they serve as a regional knowledge anchor for Africa, providing local agricultural expertise, farmer engagement, and capacity-building activities that European-led consortia need to operate on the ground. They bridge between international research agendas and African farming realities, translating scientific methods into farmer-applicable practices.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their earlier H2020 engagement (SustInAfrica, 2020) concentrated on land stewardship practices — agroecology, agroforestry, organic farming, and integrated water and land management across West and North Africa. The second project (DIVAGRI, 2021) marks a visible shift toward technology-enabled solutions: solar desalination, clay-based micro-irrigation, biorefinery, and circular revenue models, alongside a stronger emphasis on biodiversity, ecosystem services, and structured farmer knowledge-sharing. The trend suggests a progression from documenting and promoting good agricultural practices toward co-developing and disseminating practical low-cost technologies that diversify income and improve resource efficiency for African smallholders.

This university is moving from broad sustainability frameworks toward specific technical innovations — water access, biorefinery, and circular farming — suggesting growing appetite for partnerships involving applied technology transfer to African agricultural contexts.

How they like to work

The University of Cape Coast joins consortia as a participant rather than leading them — a pattern consistent with a regional expertise partner brought in for their African field knowledge and stakeholder access. Despite only two projects, they have accumulated 38 unique consortium partners across 19 countries, indicating placement in large, multi-partner Research and Innovation Actions rather than focused bilateral collaborations. This suggests they are valued as a bridge partner — selected because they provide African ground-truth that European partners cannot replicate internally.

With 38 unique partners spanning 19 countries from only two projects, their network is disproportionately broad for their project volume, reflecting participation in large pan-African and Euro-African consortia. Their geographic footprint spans West Africa, North Africa, and European research institutions, making them a natural connector for multi-continent agricultural research initiatives.

What sets them apart

The University of Cape Coast offers something rare in H2020 consortia: an established Ghanaian academic institution with documented research engagement across West Africa (Ghana, Burkina Faso, Niger) and the ability to bridge to North African contexts. For European consortia targeting African food system transformation, they provide regional legitimacy, local farmer networks, and on-the-ground capacity-building reach that cannot be substituted by remote research. Their dual focus on ecological farming practices and emerging low-cost technologies positions them as a versatile regional partner for projects at the intersection of sustainability science and practical rural development.

Highlights from their portfolio

• DIVAGRI
  The larger of the two projects by funding (EUR 385,525), it introduces an unusually wide technical scope — combining solar desalination, clay-based micro-irrigation, biorefinery, and circular economy principles — signaling the university's willingness to engage with hardware and systems innovation, not just agronomic practice.
• SustInAfrica
  A long-duration project (2020–2026) spanning five countries across two African sub-regions, it positions the university within a major pan-African resilience research program and demonstrates their ability to contribute to multi-year, geographically complex agricultural initiatives.