Category Archives: Research

SADC Water Research Agenda II is ready for adoption by SADC Ministers

During the week of 4 to 6 April 2026, the AUDA-NEPAD SANWATCE Secrariat presented the final version of the revised SADC Water Research Agenda to the Regional Stakeholder Workshop to review and validate Regional Water Sector Strategies in Johannesburg, South Africa. This follows a year of analysis, reviews and stakeholder engagements with more than 500 stakeholders in the region. The final review document was validated and recommended for further adoption to the Water Resource Technical Committee, which is the final step before the SADC Ministers are asked to adopt the agenda.

On the sidelines, the secretariat also had a wonderful personal highlight where they connected with Ms Zanele Lulane from Eswatini, a beneficiary of the ACEWATER III project. She is undertaking a PhD through the University of KwaZulu-Natal, and would contribute towards developing a Framework for Strengthening the Institutional, Technical and Operational Capacity of the Incomati–Maputo River Basin for Effective Transboundary Water Resources Management

It was so nice to connect and for her to share her story. Wonderful to see how we are all making a difference at a personal level

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: Zimbabwe Water Indaba 23-25 September 2026

The National University of Science and Technology in Zimbabwe will host its annual Zimbabwe Water Indaba between 23 and 25 September 2026 in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.

Thematic areas include

  • Water Security and Climate Resilience
  • WASH for Inclusive Development
  • Wastewater as a resource
  • Water for Food and Livelihoods
  • Water Governance and Policy Innovation and
  • Water, Food Energy Nexus

The call for abstracts is now open, with the conference proceedings to be published in a Scopus-indexed journal.

Deadline for abstracts: 31 May 2026

Notification of Acceptance: 30 June 2026

Final Presentation Submission: 31 July 2026

For more information, contact zimwaterweek@nust.ac.zw

For enquiries, contact Helga.nyamweda@nust.ac.zw

IGAD ICPAC in Kenya visited the Institut Geographic du Burundi (IGEBU), Lake Tanganyika Authority, TAKIWAMA and Enabel

A team of two staff from ICPAC carried out field visits to key stakeholders in Burundi from 11-13 November 2025. The stakeholders included Institut Geographique du Burundi (IGEBU), Lake Tanganyika Authority, TAKIWAMA (Tanganyika Kivu Water Management Project) and Enabel, to discuss issues related to lake water management. This visit will inform the activities of Lake Tanganyika water balance modelling.

The objectives of the field visit were to:


• Inform stakeholders about the intention of ICPAC of developing a water balance model for Lake Tanganyika under the research component of the ACE Water III project,
• Consult stakeholders about water uses, on-going projects and any challenges/issues within the Lake Tanganyika basin
• Collect all available datasets and reports relevant to the development of Lake Tanganyika model

AUDA-NEPAD SANWATCE partners attend AWSISA Africa and Global South Water and Sanitation Dialogue 2025, 9-12 November in Johannesburg, South Africa.

The University of the Western Cape the Stellenbosch attended AWSISA dialoque. This three-day event brought together over 1500 delegates from across the world. This dialogue was the perfect opportunity for young professionals in various industries to learn about the water and sanitation sector, but also to gain mentorship from industry leaders. A post-graduate student at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa presented her ACEWATER III-related research.

AUDA-NEPAD SANWATCE partners engages at annual WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA symposium in Lusaka, 28-31 October 2025

All 11 partners attended and actively engaged at this annual symposium. Several emerging scholars and researchers working on the ACEWATER III projects presented their respective research. The Unit for Environmental Ethics at Stellenbosch University, in collaboration with NUST Zimbabwe convened a special session on transboundary water ethics, which was attended by 20 participants. The AUDA-NEPAD SANWATCE secretariat convened a special session on the review of the SADC Water Research Agenda, which was attended by about 50 participants. Dr Patrice Kabeya, the Senior Programme Officer for Water at the SADC Secretariat welcomed the audience and set the scene for the session.

The SANWATCE Secretariat and Stellenbosch Univeristy Water Institute also co-convened two special sessions related to the WASANet project (Water Security in Africa).

AUDA-NEPAD SANWATCE used the opportunity to also convene its annual network consultative meeting.

Kwame Nkrumah University for Sciences and Technology (KNUST), Ghana, partners with the Nigeria National Water Resources Institute (NWRI), to strengthen water resource management in the region.

Prior to the shortcourse that is scheduled to start on 27 October 2025, the Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre Kumasi (RWESCK) on Monday 20 October 2025, received a three member delegation from the National Water Resources Institute (NWRI) Kaduna for a working visit.

The team comprised of Engr. Sylvester Gojim Sara, Dr. Vivien Chigoke Ameso and Engr. Zubair Anuhi Usman. As part of their engagements, they paid a courtesy call on the local ACEWATER III PI, Prof Geophrey Anornu to discuss strategies to strengthen the collaboration between RWESCK and the NWRI. They also toured some of the facilities at the RWESCK, including the water quality labs, hydraulic labs and water resources engineering labs.

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