From April 8 to June 12, 2024, the Training of Trainers Course took place within the framework of the HOST-EG project, an initiative co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union aimed at strengthening teaching and technical capacities in entrepreneurship and sustainable tourism in Equatorial Guinea.
This course is part of Work Package 2 of the project, focused on capacity building in entrepreneurial skills for sustainable tourism. Its main objective is to provide academic staff from the National University of Equatorial Guinea (UNGE) and the Afro-American University of Central Africa (AAUCA) with the knowledge, methodologies, and tools needed to foster an entrepreneurial mindset among students and enhance the quality of higher education in the country.
The programme was collaboratively designed by the four participating universities — ULPGC (Spain), UMa (Portugal), UNGE (Equatorial Guinea), and AAUCA (Equatorial Guinea) — with the European institutions taking the lead in the planning and delivery of the content. Over 90 hours of training, the course was structured into three main modules: Entrepreneurship, Tourism and Tourism Enterprises, and Academic Skills.
The Entrepreneurship module, consisting of six courses and 33 hours of training, covered topics such as creativity and innovation, business idea validation, business planning, financial management, and leadership. The Tourism and Tourism Enterprises module, with six additional courses and 42 hours, focused on the sustainable management of tourism businesses, accommodation, food and beverage services, and leisure activities. Finally, the Academic Skills module, with two courses and 15 hours, strengthened the teaching and research competencies of the participating faculty.
In total, 20 professors from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and the University of Madeira (UMa), together with two guest entrepreneurs from the tourism sector, delivered the training sessions, combining in-person and online classes from the campuses of Malabo, Bata, and Ciudad de la Paz.
The course achieved remarkable participation, with 57 university lecturers, 14 administrative staff members, and 77 external professionals attending the sessions. Feedback from participants reflected a high level of satisfaction with the quality and relevance of the training provided.
Through this Training of Trainers Programme, the HOST-EG project continues to advance its mission of promoting entrepreneurial education, innovation, and sustainable tourism as key drivers of economic and social development in Equatorial Guinea, while strengthening cooperation between African and European universities to foster a more practical, inclusive, and employment-oriented higher education system.
