The SADC Water Research Agenda provides a comprehensive evidence base for water research planning across the Southern African Development Community. This page presents an interactive dashboard covering both SWRA I (retrospective, 2014–2024) and SWRA II (forward-looking, 2025–2035). Use the navigation tabs within the dashboard to explore research trends, geographic coverage, thematic priorities, and policy alignment across eight analytical pages.
Acronyms
SWRA I Section Introduction (Pages 1–7)
SWRA I analysed over 2,100 water research outputs published between 2014 and 2024, drawn from the Web of Science, WaterNet Symposium proceedings, and the SADC Groundwater Management Institute. Pages 1 through 7 of the dashboard provide a comprehensive retrospective of research coverage, identifying geographic concentration, thematic gaps, and alignment with regional policy frameworks. For the complete analysis, see the SWRA I Final Report (PDF).
AWV — Africa Water Vision
CCT — Cross-Cutting Themes
GI — Governance and Integration
ID — Infrastructure Development
INF — Infrastructure (SWRA I focal area)
RSAP V — Regional Strategic Action Plan on Integrated Water Resources Development and Management (Phase V)
SADC — Southern African Development Community
SADC-GMI — SADC Groundwater Management Institute
SWRA — SADC Water Research Agenda
SWRA I — SADC Water Research Agenda I (2014–2024)
SWRA II — SADC Water Research Agenda II (2025–2035)
WRM — Water Resources Management (SWRA II pillar)
WRME — Water Resource Management and Ecosystems (SWRA I focal area)
SWRA II Section Introduction
SWRA II establishes a new four-pillar research framework — Governance and Integration (GI), Infrastructure Development (ID), Water Resources Management (WRM), and Cross-Cutting Themes (CCT) — spanning 70 topics across 16 themes. Priority areas include climate change adaptation, digital innovation, and transboundary cooperation. The SWRA II pages within the dashboard will track implementation progress and research output against SWRA II targets as the agenda rolls out from 2025 to 2035. The official SWRA II is yet to be validated and will be uploaded once validated at the 2026 WRTC Meeting.
Read more about the background to the data and the SADC Water Research Agenda
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