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Students, staff, professionals and members of the public attended the seventh London Student Sustainability Conference at the University of Westminster

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The London Student Sustainability Conference 2025 welcomed students from across eleven universities on February 26.

The conference, hosted in collaboration with City St George’s and other universities across the capital, took place at University of Westminster.

The conference aimed to give students a platform to understand more about sustainability, share ideas and develop the necessary tools to take climate action.

Attendees joined both in-person and virtually and a networking event followed the conference for students, academics from London universities and industry professionals to connect.

'The energy of the youth is Africa's biggest resource': Joseph Elikem Ametsitsi (Sustainable Management and Finance MSc)

Joseph Elikem Ametsitsi

Students from across London were invited to submit academic posters showcasing how their work supports one or more of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. These posters were on display at the conference. During workshops on a range of topics, students from across the universities gave presentations on their research and sustainability initiatives.

Bayes Business School student Joseph Elikem Ametsitsi presented his research at the conference. The postgraduate student from Ghana is studying Sustainable Management and Finance and is passionate about sustainability in Africa, with research focussing on how the youth of the continent can drive change forward.

Joseph is the founder of  Starzec Energy, a startup aiming to empower Africa's youth to lead the clean energy transition. Dedicated to advocating for energy transition, Joseph said he envisions Africa as a leader in the global fight against climate change. He said:

I always say that the biggest resource of Africa is not the sun or the resources we have underneath but it’s the energy of the youth. We need to be able to leverage that to see results and see this world become a better place.

“I’m from Ghana and it’s been an amazing experience being able to study at Bayes because I’ve always been passionate about renewable energy, sustainable energy and energy transition.

“It’s been a big privilege to see my vision come to fruition. I have a lot of ideas and I always say it’s not enough to have ideas, you have to walk the talk.

“This conference has been an amazing opportunity. I always advocate for such opportunities for the youth. There’s a lot of hidden talent and there’s a lot of hidden ideas.

“It’s been an honour to talk about issues regarding sustainability in Africa at today’s conference and discuss what we are doing as youth to be able to champion this."

Joseph presented his sustainability projects at the conference

In his presentation, Joseph called for a collective effort to include Africa's youth in driving climate solutions and sustainable economic growth. He said Africa had potential to become a future clean energy superpower and highlighted the continent's abundant renewable resources such a sunlight, wind and hydrogen.

London as the leader for climate action

Darren de Souza at the sustainability conference

Darren de Souza, Senior Policy and Projects Officer for London Higher spoke at the conference and told students:

Collaboration between universities can show London as a leader of climate action. With a quarter of all UK universities in London, the city has a huge advantage to advance local and national changes in sustainability. You are the hope and you can drive that change forward.

On the University’s involvement in the conference, Dermot Barnes, Head of Sustainability at City St George’s, University of London, said:

“This is our seventh year collaborating on the London Student Sustainability Conference. It is a fantastic opportunity for students to broaden their knowledge on sustainability issues, gain inspiration and the necessary tools to take climate action.

As a university in the heart of London, we are committed to embedding sustainability within all our activities and contributing to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals.

This year’s conference was organised by eleven universities including City St George’s, University of London. These included:

  • Imperial College London
  • King’s College London
  • Kingston University London
  • London School of Economics
  • London South Bank University
  • Queen Mary University of London
  • University of Greenwich
  • University of London
  • University of Roehampton
  • University of Westminster

Find more about sustainability at City St George's.

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