Joint Workshops on Water-Energy-Land Nexus led by IIASA in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, brought together 30 researchers and practitioners from 14 African countries.
© Giacomo Falchetta | IIASA Group photo of the workshop participants and trainers in Addis Ababa.
In a collaboration aimed at fostering equitable development in rural Africa, IIASA researchers Adriano Vinca and Giacomo Falchetta from the LEAP-RE RE4AFAGRI project joined forces with the World Resources Institute (WRI) to arrange a week-long joint workshop focusing on tools for planning, scenarios, and policy analysis of the water-energy-land nexus. the event was opened by H.E. Dr. Sultan Woli, State Minister of the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy.
The different sessions on the first two days introduced in-person and online participants with ongoing data and model-based work for water-energy-land-food Nexus assessment, with a specific focus on both public decision-making and on private system developers and investors. This included a keynote talk on the Monday from World Resources Institute, demonstrations of Global Forest Watch, Aqueduct and the Energy Access Explorer, and demonstration of the RE4AFAGRI modelling platform. A networking event including local experts form Addis Ababa concluded the first day activities for in-person participants. Online participation for the first two days exceeded 125 registrants.
"The joint workshops have been a key objective since the RE4AFAGRI project inception, to ensure that best research methodologies and insights, using open-source models and data, are extended to local researchers and practitioners working across sub-Saharan Africa," said Dr Giacomo Falchetta, coordinator and trainer of the workshops and a Research Scholar in the IIASA Energy, Climate & Environment Program.
Days 3-5 were dedicated to hands on training of a range of quantitative modelling tools related to the water-energy-land-food nexus. Training has been split into two tracks, focused on Energy and Nexus, with more in depth tuition on open-access models in those themes.
The organizing committee have worked closely with the secretariat of the Science Granting Councils Initiative as IIASA's Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Member Organization, who have helped publicise the events and sponsored the attendance of participants. The World Bank Energy Sector Management Assistance Program have also been involved in the training on rural electrification and have generously sponsored hotel accommodation for participants.
"The workshops are also about building a community and network across sub-Saharan Africa of experts who will also develop capacity within their organizations and countries in coming years. We have very much enjoyed working in partnership with, and are hugely grateful for the support of our hosts WRI, the SGCI and World Bank ESMAP", commented Dr Edward Byers, a coordinator of the workshops and Senior Research Scholar in the IIASA Energy, Climate & Environment Program.
These workshops were part of the RE4AFAGRI project's overarching mission to empower local stakeholders with the knowledge and tools necessary to shape policies and strategies that promote balanced and inclusive growth. The success of the workshops lay not only in their informative content but also in their ability to trigger action. Attendees were inspired to rethink traditional approaches to resource management and devise innovative solutions tailored to the unique contexts of rural Africa. The workshops facilitated the creation of cross-disciplinary networks, enabling professionals from diverse backgrounds to collaborate and pool their expertise, thereby amplifying the potential for impactful change.
