The Smart City Higher Education Advancement Program in East Africa (SHAPE) is an Erasmus+ Capacity Building in Higher Education initiative designed to address the growing shortage of smart city skills across East Africa, particularly in Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. Rapid urbanization in the region has created increasing demand for professionals capable of planning, designing, and managing smart, sustainable, and inclusive cities. However, higher education institutions currently lack specialized curricula, qualified academic staff, practical training facilities, and strong collaboration with industry and public institutions.
SHAPE responds to these challenges by modernizing higher education through innovative curricula, academic capacity building, digital learning, research collaboration, and open innovation. The project combines the technical expertise of European universities with the contextual knowledge of East African institutions to develop educational programmes that reflect the realities and priorities of African cities rather than replicating models developed elsewhere.
