In the framework the National activity that is implemented under the “Water and Environment Support” (WES) project and aiming at “Supporting Algerian university students in the conceptualization and presentation of circular economy and green entrepreneurship projects”, a final project pitching session was organized on June 23rd 2022, at the University of Boumerdes in Algeria.

During this session, eighteen projects promoting green and circular economy were presented and defended by the students. These projects covered numerous fields, e.g. replacing plastic with mycelium, obtaining glue from leather waste, recycling cooking oil to make biodiesel, recycling cigarette butts, as well as waste textile, wood and glass valorisation.

This hybrid session is the last of a series of 12 training sessions (30 hours in total) organized for the benefit of 30 students that were carried out between March and June 2022. The training courses took place onsite at the university’s auditorium or online via videoconference. Irrespective of the course delivery medium, students were always there!

This demonstration training was preceded by a Training of Trainers programme on green entrepreneurship and circular economy where university professors and employees of the National Conservatory of Environmental Training (CNFE) were trained on how to deliver the circular economy and green entrepreneurship course and how to support students.

Mr. Stefano CORRADO, Cooperation Officer of the European Union Delegation in Algeria, participated in the pitching session and praised the quality of the work of the students, ensured through the support of the trainers of the project. “The WES activity is a very good answer to the environmental, social and climate challenges to which the countries of the Mediterranean Rim are faced with and, at the same time, a means that will help young students obtain the necessary tools in order to engage themselves as entrepreneurs in innovative, sustainable and green projects to address such challenges”.

The training was carried out with the support of MedWaves, i.e. the Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production (formerly SCP/RAC) of the Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP), a WES project partner, in cooperation with the SwitchMed project, the CNFE and the University of Boumerdes. The course material is uploaded at the website of the Algerian Center of Circular Economy (CALEC) www.calec-dz.org/ and at the WES Project portal: www.wes-med.eu.