EAGLE – enhancing higher education e-learning structures and modules in conflict regions of East Africa

 Earsmus+ Project Partner Meetings and Training at University of Nicosia and Universitat Politècnica de Velència

EAGLE(Enhancing Higher Education e-Learning Structures and Modules in Conflict Regions of East Africa), an Erasmus-LS project fully funded by the European Union, was launched in January 2025 and had the first face-to-face meeting in Nairobi Kenya in May 2025. It will run through the end of 2027. The first hybrid meeting and technical training in Europe was organized in Valencia, Spain and Nicosia, Cyprus, between 13–16 and 19–24 January 2026, respectively. 

The technical training in the two countries, followed from a ten-day training in Kenya in May 2025, focused on two main areas: 

• Set up and manage a Learning Management System (LMS), a software application or web-based technology designed to plan, implement, and assess learning processes.
• Provide lecturers with the tools and knowledge to design, build and deliver courses in the environment of e-learning.

The partners in the project include  the Universitat Politècnica de Velència (Spain) – Project Leader, the University of Nicosia (Cyprus), the Institute of Social Transformation – Tangaza University (Kenya),  the University of Eldoret (Kenya), the Comboni College of Science and Technology (South Sudan), the Al-Ahfad University for Women (South Sudan), the  Catholic University of South Sudan (South Sudan),  the St. Mary’s College in Juba (Sudan) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology – South Sudan. In addition to other challenges faced by countries in the area Sudan and South Sudan have to deal with political instability, civil war and armed militias that ravage the two countries. 

The project addresses critical needs related to digital transformation and sustainable growth and employment:

Digital Transformation: To develop quality inclusive higher education by using digital technologies for the development and implementation of digital capabilities in partner universities so that they address their digital transformation as completely and inclusively as possible; to introduce connectivity solutions that enable distance learning and teaching innovations and the development of digital education ecosystems reinforcing lecturers’ and academic staff’s digital capabilities and competencies.

Sustainable growth and employment: To enable higher education to develop and provide skills for life and work through the improvement of the capabilities of the young population through access to quality Higher Education in adverse social circumstances; to develop the skills of university lecturers to address the structural causes of student dropout, counteracting persistent social, economic and gender inequality.

Following the training, the African partners are working to upgrade their computer systems and install Moodle platforms in their respective universities while in parallel develop online courses. The University of Nicosia provides technical support.

The leader of the project for the University of Nicosia is the Rector, Prof. Philippos Pouyioutas assisted by Kyriakos E. Georgiou. Contributors to the technical training include Dr Christos Anagiotos, Prof. Marina Rodosthenous, Dr Agni Stylianou, Dr Lefki Kourea and Kyriakos E. Georgiou.