“From classroom to quarry—and from raw student dreams to patented solutions—CEMEREM is scripting East Africa’s next chapter in sustainable mining.”

A Vision Realised

When DAAD made a call for universities to compete to host an African centre of excellence in 2015, Taita Taveta University (TTU), then still Taita Taveta University College (TTUC), seized the moment. It was a step of courage for the young college, and it proceeded to win the bid. Within months, the Kenyan–German Centre of Excellence for Mining, Environmental Engineering and Resource Management (CEMEREM) was launched in May 2016, a tripartite university arrangement that brought together TTU, HTW Dresden, and TU Bergakademie Freiberg. Ten years on, the once-bold vision is an everyday reality. That is why the 5th Biennial International CEMEREM Conference will celebrate CEMEREM’s demonstrated Decade of Delivery from 30 September to 01 October 2025 in Taita Taveta, co-organised by Taita Taveta University and the two German partner universities. The epic conference will welcome a global audience. Representatives of the DAAD, CEMEREM Project leaders, and various CEMEREM beneficiaries who are either university staff, students, or alumni will engage with the global audience in keynotes, roundtable discussions, technical sessions, exhibitions, and a Young Scientists Contest. Tailored training modules addressing technical and policy issues around mining and natural resource management will be offered as a pre-conference package, on 28 and 29 September 2025.

CEMEREM’s Academic Flagships

• Four postgraduate MSc degree programmes (Mining Engineering, Process Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and an MBA in Natural Resource Management).
• East Africa’s first triple-degree MSc programme that links these universities: TTU, Freiberg, and Montanuniversität Leoben.
• 119 scholars enrolled since 2017; 90 % employability target already within reach.
• PhD Academy opened in 2023; CEMEREM’s first doctoral graduate now lectures at TTU and mentors future cohorts.

Labs, Pilots and Patents

CEMEREM has outfitted TTU with a digital classroom and equipped the geotechnical, surveying and water-treatment labs, plus new gemmology and nanotechnology suites. Field-ready pilot plants—Agri-PV arrays and smart-biogas units—double as living field classrooms. Student ingenuity has already secured patents for micro-biogas systems and radio-wave process-control technology.

Research and Innovation Powerhouse

Nine annual Summer Schools (seven in Germany, two in Kenya), monthly postgraduate seminars, and funded research stays in Germany have embedded a culture of inquiry. The centre’s flagship African Journal of Mining, Resource Management and Entrepreneurship (AJMENRM) amplifies African scholarship, while the Taita Taveta Integrated Mine-Planning Model (TIMPM) stands out as the continent’s first regional, multisector and strategic mine planning prototype.

Digital Reach

Through DIGI-FACE, five TTU staff completed e-learning-design training in 2024, supporting the university’s Open & Distance e-Learning Directorate. Remote learners will now be able to log in for micro-courses on sustainable mining and natural resource management practices, including mercury-free gold processing, health and safety, and ESG compliance. This is proof that geography should no longer limit access to learning opportunities in this era.

Partnerships and Scale

Thanks to the global spread of the universities, staff, researchers, industries, students, and alumni associated with CEMEREM directly or indirectly, CEMEREM’s ecosystem now spans 15+ countries. Besides TTU, HTW-Dresden, and TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the vast ecosystem connects key African universities of mining (e.g., UMaT Ghana, University of Johannesburg), mining industry luminaries (e.g., Base Titanium, Voi Gemstone Value Addition and Marketing Centre), civil society and NGOs (e.g., Kenya Chamber of Mines (KCM) and the Association of Women in Energy and Extractives in Kenya (AWEIK), and government agencies. In 2024 alone, 224 artisanal miners were trained using CEMEREM short courses, each a multiplier for safer, greener livelihoods.

Looking Forward

Now you know! The 5th Biennial International CEMEREM Conference (29 Sept–1 Oct 2025) will unveil a ten-year impact video documentary and a post-DAAD sustainability blueprint. Priorities include:

1. Digital micro-credentials for artisanal and small-scale miners.
2. EU funding+ mobility grants (proposals as from 2025) to deepen EU–Africa research ties.
3. Commercial spin-offs for Agri-PV and smart-biogas tech.
4. Contract research, tailored and regularly updated short courses, and executive training to secure financial independence and long-term sustainability.

Why It Matters

CEMEREM has proved that responsible resource development can fuel prosperity without undermining the planet. As the inaugural doctoral alumnus of CEMEREM, Dr.-Ing. Nashon Adero stated during an interview for the ten-year documentary, “CEMEREM revolutionised my trajectory—turning me into a globally-networked scholar and youth mentor, and inspiring the Impact Borderless Digital youth mentorship programme I conceived after taking additional courses on governance and social entrepreneurship at the Graduate and Research Academy (GraFA) of Freiberg.”

Join the Journey

CEMEREM invites educators, industry partners, policymakers, and students to co-create the next decade of sustainable mining and resource stewardship in Africa. No one is left behind when knowledge travels borderless.

Follow CEMEREM on the DIGI-FACE pages for conference updates, scholarship calls, and fresh research stories.

For more about the conference, contact cemerem@ttu.ac.ke.

You must be logged in to rate posts.

Lecturer, Enactus Patron Nashon Adero Taita Taveta University More blogs from this author

1 Comments