Building Bridges for Change: RWTH student Contimi on Empowering Innovation Through Global Engagement and ENHANCE

Global engagement and creating a lasting impact are at the heart of ENHANCE’s mission to shape the future of European education and research. While our journey to sustainable inclusion and equity is only beginning , our ENHANCE objective is clear: to build inclusive learning pathways and collaborative networks that empower our diverse community to grow and become future-ready. Through the accomplishments of engaged students, we witness how impactful these goals can be.

Contimi Kenfack Mouafo, a student from our ENHANCE member RWTH Aachen and recent recipient of Germany’s Student of the Year award, embodies the potential of student engagement within ENHANCE. As the first African to receive not only this accolade, but also an IntSpire Award winner, Contimi has demonstrated remarkable global impact through his work with 3E4Africa, an organisation that empowers student-led solutions to global challenges, from sustainability to social innovation. His journey highlights the transformative potential of active student engagement and leadership.

Contimi, can you share the mission and goals of 3E4Africa, along with some specific examples of your work to empower African students? What is your personal favourite success story?

As a student-led African Diaspora organisation, the approach for the work we do at “3 E’s 4 Africa” is based first on leveraging the potential of the African Diaspora. This means we understand that as the bridge to the African continent, the role of its diaspora (of which African students in Europe are a part of) is essential to creating an impact on their home continent. Secondly, we as an organization do not initiate projects in Africa but rather all our projects are initiated and implemented by the African students in their home countries. We believe they should be the ones to create adequate solutions to the challenges they face locally, and our job is to support them as they require and as much as we can. In a nutshell, “3 E’s 4 Africa” is an African Diaspora organisation which works with African students on the continent and empowers them by providing visibility, mentorship and funding, so that they can create innovative solutions to the climate crisis themselves.
Since our founding in 2020, we have invested more than 150.000 € in the innovative ideas of more than 200 African students in more than 8 African countries.

The projects we have supported include methane sequestration in Nigeria, plastic recycling for road construction in Cameroon, algae cultivation in Madagascar, development of a smart biogas technology in Ghana and many more throughout the continent. As you can see from the examples above, all our projects always focus on the creation of innovative solutions to address climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation in Africa. My favourite success story is that of our project which took place in Namibia. After a year of the students doing research on the application of green hydrogen in the manufacture of sustainable fertilizers, the students were able to go back to the farmers in their communities to present the results of their research in a way that the farmers can understand how to apply these in their agricultural practices. Moreover, their project was so successful, that the university granted the students 1.5 million Namibian Dollars (roughly 70.000 €) in funding to continue the ground-breaking research the started with us a year ago. This is how much impact we can have when we invest in the innovative ideas of young Africans on the continent.

When it comes to achievements of our work here in Europe, my team and I are particularly proud of being awarded the 2022 IntSpire Prize from the RWTH Aachen University. This was a significant milestone for us not only because it was the very first time that a student initiative (and not a Professor or a big research institute) was awarded the prize but most importantly, because it was a first time that an African Diaspora organization like ours was awarded such a prize and this was extremely important to create visibility for African students and the work they do at European universities.

With the same goal of creating visibility for African students in Europe, we launched our flagship event, the “African Students Day”. On this day, we bring together African students, trainees, young professionals as well as aspiring trainees and/or aspiring students in Europe who are deeply passionate about creating impact on their home continent. The goal is first to make them more visible as an important and powerful community within the European students’ landscape and secondly, to have them engage in meaningful discussions about the impact that they as young people from the African Diaspora in Europe can create in their home countries in Africa. The very first African Students Day 2024 took place this year at the RWTH Aachen University and with resounding success, the “African Students Day” will be coming back in 2025 at the University of Niederrhein in Germany. We will be happy to welcome as many African students throughout Europe as possible. It is our organization’s core belief that the African youth – on the continent or in the diaspora – has the potential to make a difference. The “African Students Day” is a movement towards recognizing, uniting, and empowering African students, trainees, and young professionals in Europe.

As a prominent advocate for diversity and empowerment, what challenges do you perceive for African students in European universities, and how can institutions better support them? How can the ENHANCE academic community foster a more inclusive environment for students of African descent?

African students in European universities face multiple challenges, many of which are systematic. For instance, in Germany, scholarships typically require good grades, which seems reasonable. However, most African students, particularly those from the continent, often need to work part-time (15-20 hours per week) to fund their studies. This dual commitment makes it challenging to maintain high academic performance, leading many of them to struggle to qualify for these scholarships. While it is true that scholarships exist for international students, the accessibility of these funds often does not extend to African students, especially those who genuinely need financial assistance.

Moreover, challenges such as racism are well documented, affecting the overall experience of these students. However, the lack of visibility for African students at European universities is a significant issue that I would like to focus on. Despite making up a notable proportion of the international student body in Europe, African students often do not receive adequate recognition within their institutions. Many European universities pride themselves on their international and diverse environments, claiming to attract students from across the globe, including Africa. However, fostering a truly welcoming atmosphere for African students requires more than merely meeting quotas or establishing a so-called “diversity funds” for occasional workshops. It involves recognising the unique challenges they face and creating resources to help them navigate these hurdles.

In what ways do you believe intiatives like 3E4Africa can contribute to the ENHANCE Alliance’s goals of fostering an inclusive academic environment for students from diverse backgrounds?

For African students in European universities to thrive, they must be visible beyond their mere contribution to student demographics. It’s essential that universities not only focus on elite African students but also on the community as a whole. Institutions should provide platforms and resources to elevate the visibility of African students, enabling them to share ideas and address issues that directly affect their experiences while pursuing their studies. African students can contribute significantly to the European academic landscape by offering unique perspectives, but they need the space and support to do so.

Proactively engaging with African student communities, understanding their needs, and supporting their initiatives can make a substantial difference. Student organisations such as the African Students Association of Zürich, the TU Delft African Students Organisation, and our own 3E4Africa at RWTH Aachen University are well organised and have existing initiatives that can be further developed. We are eager to engage in meaningful dialogues with our universities to provide new ideas and solutions.

For example, at 3E4Africa, we host an annual “African Students Day” aimed at enhancing the visibility of African students within European universities. This event portrays African students as a resourceful community capable of making an impact in Europe and on the African continent. In planning this event, we collaborate with various African student organisations and others within the ENHANCE alliance. Our “African Students Day” targets African students and trainees across Europe, and the ENHANCE Alliance is ideally positioned to facilitate access to this event, potentially even hosting it at one of its partner universities. Supporting such initiatives through a long-term strategic partnership would demonstrate the ENHANCE Alliance’s commitment to enhancing visibility for African students while fostering an inclusive and supportive environment at its partner universities.

What advice would you give to African students within the ENHANCE network who aspire to make a difference in their academic communities?

One thing I’ve learned which has been priceless to me in my journey as a student is the importance of volunteering while studying. The world in which we live today has so many challenges and the most complex challenges aren’t necessarily the technical ones but, in my opinion, they are the social challenges. Our universities provide us with a solid and mostly theoretical knowledge foundation which is necessary and important but through volunteering I had the chance to go out into the world, understand real-life issues and challenges, make my own opinion on these issues, and then decide how I wanted to contribute to solving these challenges within our society. Going down this path has helped me figure out what I am truly passionate about, why I have this passion and most importantly how I can transform my passion into value for the society in which we live. Additionally, it gave me the unique opportunity to actively practice leadership, communication, public speaking, teamwork which are all important human skills that help us better navigate the world today. Besides my personal experience, I came across a Deloitte Survey of human resource executives in which 81% felt skilled volunteering should be considered in a hiring decision and 76% felt volunteering made a candidate more desirable. So, my advice to all students within the Enhance Network is quite simple, find something that you’re passionate about and create the time to volunteer in this field while you study. As a student you probably have the most time and flexibility to try out different things, to fail, and to find this one thing, you’re really passionate about.

For those students within the ENHANCE Network which identify as African and who are of African Descent as myself, I know from personal experience, that it’s much more difficult for us. We are in a system that isn’t necessarily built for us and that can even make things harder for us, a system in which we don’t always feel seen or heard. Some of us (me included) have to work part-time to fund our studies or have additional pressure from the foreign office and from family. One thing I’ve noticed however is that for most of us, we strongly believe in creating change for Africa and for Africans. Because of the challenges mentioned before, we have the tendency to believe that we must wait till we’re done with our studies before we start thinking about how we can create impact in Africa of for Africans. This isn’t a wrong approach, however another approach would be to start right now, as a student. To build or join a community of doers now, learn in the process, figure out what you really love and get better and better with time. For me, wanting to have impact immediately in Africa and being part of a strong community of implementers became a powerful driving force.

At 3 E’s 4 Africa, our flagship event, the African Students Day which we hosted this year for the first time at the RWTH Aachen University and which we will be organising again in 2025 would be the ideal place to be for you to experience a lively community of implementers from the African Diaspora! If you’re more interested on having impact on the African continent, our projects in the continent would be a great fit for you so feel free to reach out to us at recruiting@3e4africa.org. Volunteering for what you believe in and what you love will make your experience as a student unique. Don’t miss this opportunity.

Congratulations on being named Student of the Year in Germany! What does this recognition mean to you personally, and how do you see it influencing your future endeavours?

It’s always important for me to emphasise that this award doesn’t just belong to me, but to the whole “3 E’s 4 Africa” team. We have all worked hard over the last four years and we wouldn’t have gotten this far without mutually supporting one another. You can’t do much on your own. It’s also important to mention that I only received the award on my fourth application, so it took me some time to get here and that’s part of the journey. Looking back, I think this time was the perfect time.

The fact that I as a Cameroonian was awarded the prize makes me the first African Student to receive this award and this is a strong testament to the diversity of the student body in Germany but also in Europe at large. So, I would continue to encourage and challenge all other international students, especially African students, to find out that one thing they’re passionate about and to start doing it right now during their studies and training instead of waiting for the “best time”. We are a very resilient community and besides the multitude of challenges we face here during our studies or training, I know that we can achieve much more.
For me personally, the feeling of gratitude prevails. Grateful that I can work with such great people, grateful for everyone who has supported me along the way (and that’s a lot of people), grateful of course for the award and for the attention it has brought to our work and our vision at “3 E’s 4 Africa”. At the same time, it gives me the energy and courage to carry on with our work now as a student and even later once I’m done with my studies. There is still a lot to do. The work we do at “3 E’s 4 Africa” is important to strengthen the African Diaspora community, fight the climate crisis through African innovation thereby creating a more authentic image of Africa and, finally, to completely change the way Europe and Africa work together. Anyone who identifies with any of these issues and who is willing to join us is more than welcome. We need all the support we can get, and we’ll be happy to have you!