In partnership with Copper Belt University (CBU), Zambia, COL launched a project to upskill small-scale fisheries in modern fishing technologies and sustainable practices. The launch included a capacity-building workshop from 18-22 June, 2018, to empower CBU staff to incorporate these technologies and practices into their programmes making use of Open Educational Resources (OER).

CBU’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Naison Ngoma, observed that despite the nutritive benefits of fish and its economic potential in the sustainability of livelihoods, farmers in the fisheries sector lack the skills to grow and harvest fish as well as preserve post-harvest and sustain its continuous growth for future generations. He noted that the poor handling of the sector will lead to an adverse effect on the farmers, the future generation and the country’s economy.

Speaking on the objective of the project, COL’s Adviser: OER, Dr Ishan Abeywardena said, “In the past decade we mainly concentrated on creating and advocating OER. However, the future demands repurposing of these resources to help achieve sustainable livelihoods and the SDGs.

The workshop covered three key areas: repurposing OER, creating and integrating video into teaching and learning, and the use of Free and Open Source Software.