ICWRGC, represented by Dr. Layla Hashweh, participated in the 24th WaterNet/Water Research Fund for Southern Africa (WARFSA)/Global Water Partnership-Southern Africa (GWP-SA) Symposium held in Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania from 25– 27 October 2023 under the theme “Accelerating Change: Fostering Innovation and Integration for Sustainable Resources Management for Sustainable Development in East and Southern Africa”. For the past 23 years, WaterNet Symposia have been held annually in the Eastern and Southern African regions with the aim of promoting interaction among policymakers, academics, practitioners from water and related sectors, and cooperating partners. Together, they determine regional issues and gaps to prioritize future research and support.
Group picture at WaterNet conference 2023.
The 24th symposium was hosted by the University of Dar es Salaam. The symposium sub-themes this year were aligned towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and themes of the World Water Day 2023, in addition to the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) Water Research Agenda under the Regional Strategic Action Plan (RSAP) on Integrated Water Resources Development and Management Phase V.
Dr. Hashweh of ICWRGC presented her PhD research conducted on wetlands in Uganda and also promoted the different data centres hosted by ICWRGC. The symposium provided an excellent opportunity to network and discuss ongoing and future work of ICWRGC in the SADC, where WaterNet is an important regional partner.
Dr. Layla Hashweh at the WaterNet conference 2023.
ICWRGC has been engaged in research and education activities in Southern Africa since 2021. Activities include coordination of the the Southern Africa Science Service Center for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management ((SASSCAL) Graduate Studies Programme (SGSP) in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), which is a joint initiative of Germany, Angola, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, and South Africa. ICWRGC is also participating in the Water Security in Africa (WASA) programme launched by the German Federal Government.
