A high-powered delegation from the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), University of Sierra Leone, has arrived in Graz, Austria, to participate in a two-week intensive study visit under the Sierra Leone Education in Entrepreneurial Pedagogy and Skills (SLEEK) Project, co-funded by the European Union.
The five-member team, led by Dr. Ernest Udeh, Dean of the Faculty of Business Administration and Entrepreneurship, was warmly received at the FH JOANNEUM University of Applied Sciences campus by Prof. Doris Kiendl, Head of the Institute for International Management and Entrepreneurship, who emphasized the importance of collaboration between higher education institutions for advancing innovation and development.
During the visit, the IPAM team toured state-of-the-art facilities, including the Formula Student Racing Team workshop and the Food Innovation and Processing Laboratory, gaining hands-on exposure to cutting-edge entrepreneurial practices. Dr. Udeh expressed his appreciation for the learning experience, highlighting how such international engagements will strengthen IPAM’s role as the national coordinator of the SLEEK Project and advance entrepreneurial education in Sierra Leone.
The delegation, which also includes Alex Kandeh Thomas -Head of Department for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Joyce A Coulson Oluwu -Lecturer/ Coordinator IPAM CEEI, Blossom Onike Decker- Lecturer Program Manager IPAM CEEI, Dauda Musa Bangura -Lectuer and Mr. William Conteh is expected to deliver a strategic presentation on the development of a toolkit for entrepreneurial education, aimed at enhancing teaching methodologies and practical learning for students across the country.
Speaking on the significance of the study visit, Dr. Udeh said, “This initiative provides our faculty with invaluable exposure to innovative pedagogical approaches. By integrating these lessons into Sierra Leone’s higher education system, we can equip students with the skills, creativity, and resilience needed to thrive in an increasingly competitive global economy.”
The two-week program, which began on September 22 in Austria to the 4th in Spain combines intensive training-of-trainers sessions with comprehensive institutional visits, designed to provide Sierra Leonean educators with practical tools to foster entrepreneurship, innovation, and skills development in their institutions.
The SLEEK Project brings together major universities in Sierra Leone with leading European institutions, promoting partnerships that aim to revolutionize entrepreneurial pedagogy and empower the next generation of Sierra Leonean innovators.
