Catalyzing community-led engineering for a sustainable Sudan: the role of the Community Engineering Response Team (CERT), Prof. Tagwa Musa, Ali Alawad, Bakry Mahmoud, Fatima Elsayed, Romysaa Babiker, Prof. Ramiro Jordan

Professor Tagwa Musa
Chemical Engineering Program, Texas A&M University at Qatar
Doha
Qatar
TEES Gas & Fuels Research Center
United States
Ali Alawad, Bakry Mahmoud, Fatima Elsayed, Romysaa Babiker
Sudan University of Science and Technology
Khartoum
Sudan
Professor Ramiro Jordan
Electrical and Computer Engineering Program
University of New Mexico
Albuquerque
United States

Purpose: This chapter uses the Community Engineering Response Team (CERT) as a case study to explore how community-driven engineering education can contribute to Sudan's post-war recovery.

Design/methodology/approach: The chapter is based on an empirical case study of a capacity-building initiative engaging 700 engineering students across Sudan. The study used virtual training (ECHO model), hands-on implementation, and survey data collection.

Findings: The program enhanced knowledge of sustainability (94.4% reported improvement), encouraged community-led projects, and demonstrated the effectiveness of the ECHO model in post-conflict engineering education.

Value: The chapter provides a replicable model for integrating engineering education with post-war recovery efforts and policy recommendations for scaling.

Research limitations/implications: The study focused on a pilot initiative; future work should explore long-term sustainability.

Practical implications: The CERT model can be expanded to other engineering projects and adapted for broader sustainability challenges.

Keywords: Community Engineering, Capacity Building, Sudan, ECHO Model, Peace Engineering, Sustainability, Solid Waste Management.