EMMIR students participate in international leadership programme with sustainability-focused social enterprise project

EMMIR students Fernanda and Rodgers have been selected for the 2026 Global Enterprise Experience (GEE), an international leadership programme hosted by Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand and recognised by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations for its global impact.

Over the course of three weeks, participants in the programme collaborate in multicultural teams to develop socially oriented business concepts addressing global challenges connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Fernanda and Rodgers are contributing through GreenFuel Chibombo, a social enterprise initiative based in Zambia’s Chibombo District. The project focuses on producing sustainable charcoal briquettes using maize harvest waste such as stalks, husks, and cobs, creating an alternative energy source through a circular economy model.

The initiative addresses several interconnected SDGs, including affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), responsible consumption and production (SDG 12), and climate action (SDG 13).

The project highlights the relationship between environmental pressures, rural livelihoods, economic precarity, and mobility.

Fernanda and Rodgers note that the model has potential beyond Zambia, particularly in regions where agriculture is central to local economies and where climate-related pressures contribute to rural-to-urban migration. They point specifically to the possibility of adapting similar approaches in rural Mexico, where maize production remains economically and culturally significant.

"A locally owned, low-input enterprise generating rural income and energy security speaks directly to the structural drivers of migration," said Fernanda about their project.

What makes projects like this especially meaningful within the EMMIR context is their interdisciplinary and applied nature. Rather than engaging only at the level of analysis, students are also exploring how migration-related knowledge can inform practical, community-oriented initiatives connected to sustainability, energy access, and local economic resilience.

We congratulate Fernanda and Rodgers on their selection and look forward to following the next stages of the project!