The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Professor Folasade T. Ogunsola, OON, FAS, has reaffirmed the University’s unwavering commitment towards pioneering solutions at the intersection of technology and sustainability.
Professor Ogunsola made the statement on Friday, May 9, 2025, while hosting facilitators of the 2025 Green and Sustainable Software Engineering Summer School. The week-long immersive programme commenced on Monday, May 5, 2025 at the Arthur Mbanefo Digital Resource Centre (AMDRC), UNILAG.
The delegation was accompanied to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor by the Director, Office of International Research, Partnership and Prospects (IRPP, UNILAG) and AFRETEC Coordinator in UNILAG, Professor Adegboyega Ismail Ibraheem alongside the Convener of the Summer School, Dr Usman Adewole Rufai.
While welcoming the team of facilitators, Professor Ogunsola lauded the international consortium for delivering “a week of unparalleled knowledge-sharing, capacity-building, and visionary collaboration”.
She noted that “the discourse on green software engineering in Nigeria and across the continent is not only shaping the future of sustainable digital education but also reinforcing the institution’s legacy as a global hub for innovation and societal impact”.
Her words “…UNILAG’s hosting of this pioneering summer school reflects its broader mission to address global challenges through education, research, and collaboration. So, we are more than excited about the success you recorded during the summer school. For us, it is a milestone in our journey to redefine technological education…”.
During the visit, one of the facilitators, who is a Postdoctoral Researcher at LUT University, Finland, Dr. Shola Oyedeji revealed that the summer school featured a diverse range of activities and sessions tailored to the needs of students, educators, and industry professionals.
According to him, the summer school is grounded in the values of the European Union Green Deal and the African Union Agenda 2063, supporting SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 4 (Quality Education). Dr. Oyedeji appreciated the institution’s leadership for the opportunity afforded them as industry professionals to empower the next generation of software engineers with green skills and tools to tackle sustainability challenges head-on.
He also praised the Vice-Chancellor for her “Future Ready” agenda and emphasized how summer school’s dynamic sessions aligned with the vision.
According to him, “the sessions seamlessly bridged theory and practice, providing deep dives into serious games, smart decision-making frameworks, and real-world case studies that illuminated the environmental trade-offs in modern software design, preparing participants for a sustainable technological future”.
The Summer School
Dr. Birgit Penzenstadler, an expert in sustainability-driven software engineering from the Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, kicked off the summer school, on Monday, May 5, 2025, with a compelling keynote address. Titled: Sustainability in Software Engineering: From Goals to Code Commitments, her address set the tone for a memorable immersive training experience for both students and facilitators.
She captivated attendees with her vision of aligning software development with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), underscoring the critical role of software systems in tackling global challenges, such as energy efficiency and equitable resource management.
Her presentation explored practical strategies for integrating sustainability into software engineering drawing on her extensive research and the Karlskrona Manifesto for Sustainable Design. Dr Penzenstadler shared real-world examples like optimizing software to reuse energy consumption, and stressed the importance of education in equipping developers with the skills to create sustainable systems.
The 2025 Green and Sustainable Software Engineering Summer School attracted over one hundred (100) participants drawn from across Nigeria and beyond, both in person on UNILAG’s campus and virtually. In the course of the training, participants (students and industry professionals) gained hands-on experience in green software development, energy-efficient coding, and sustainable design principles.
Powered by Software Engineers for Green Deal (SE4GD) Hub, UNILAG, and SE4GD Consortium Europe with partners across Nigeria, the dynamic one-week program featured several presentations on various topics including:
- Energy-Efficient Coding, Green DevOps & Sustainable UX·
- Serious Games and Sustainability Trade-off Simulations
- Smart Decision-Making Labs for Students
- Curriculum Co-Design and Redesign Labs for Educators
- Global Networking & Strategic Planning for Institutions
Other international facilitators who made indelible impact at the summer school were: Dr. Colin C. Venter, a pioneer in green software practices from the University of Limerick, Ireland; Prof. Jari Porras, a global thought leader in sustainable technology from LUT University, Finland, and Prof. Steffi Betz of the Hochschule Furtwangen University, Germany, renowned for her work in sustainable digital ecosystems
Report: Bayo Salau
Photographs: Samuel Dosunmu & Ayo Oloyede
