Description
WAGON2Africa is a transnational higher-education initiative (2024–2026) funded under the Italian PNRR – Mission 4, Component 1, designed to establish a sustainable cooperation network between Italian and African universities on the integrated theme of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus (WEFN). Coordinated by the Politecnico di Torino, the project involves ten Italian universities and multiple African partners, aiming to strengthen educational capacity, research collaboration, and institutional connectivity across the two regions.
Within this framework, LUISS University plays a pivotal role in fostering governance innovation, policy analysis, and institutional partnership building. Drawing on its expertise in international relations and strategic studies, LUISS contributes to the project’s governance architecture, coordinates academic diplomacy activities, and supports the development of shared curricula and transnational training modules related to sustainable resource management and social policy.
WAGON2Africa’s structure is organized around four thematic pillars:
- Science, technology & digitalization
- Economics, business & management
- Humanities, social sciences & law
- Sustainable agri-food systems, natural resources & bioeconomy
The project promotes student and staff mobility, capacity-building programs, and advanced training across partner institutions. Its geographic focus lies on Sub-Saharan and Eastern Africa, coordinated through a regional hub in Nairobi, Kenya. Among its key outcomes is the African Cities Summer School (Addis Ababa, 2026), a multidisciplinary workshop on urban sustainability and the WEF Nexus.
By engaging in WAGON2Africa, LUISS reinforces its commitment to Euro-African academic cooperation, international policy dialogue, and education for sustainable development.