The Master’s project “Water Resources and Environmental Risks in African Cities”, also known as MAREMA aims to improve the quality of higher education to better address technical and scientific challenges for water resources management and environmental risks in large African cities. MAREMA project is based on existing degrees in the partner universities. They will be gradually rearranged to create a common degree between Benin, Cameroon and Ivory Coast. This new degree is built on the analysis of the labour market needs and aims to reach this specific positioning. Innovative pedagogical and scientific approaches are developed to ensure the quality of the Master’s degree. It especially encompasses new scientific tools, multi-disciplinary approach, problem-solving based learning, research training and development of MOOC. These tools are co-developed by the partner universities’ pedagogical teams with specific trainings taking place before implementing the innovative tools in the degree.MAREMA training program is deeply embedded in its socio-professional environment thanks to the large number of partners already involved in the project. The proposed strategy aims to guarantee the participation of future employers in the elaboration of the training template, its implementation (teachings, participation in field activities) and its evaluation that ensures its embedding. The MAREMA project strengthens the capacities of partner universities to collaborate and to align themselves with higher education European standards. It also guarantees a high level of student employment. The project strengthens the capacities of teaching staffs involved. It reinforces the partners’ ability to design and lead sustainable development (creation of centers of excellence in terms of expertise and research in this field).