AFRICA REGIONAL COMMITTEE

Africa Regional Committee

During the 2018 IAHS Bureau meeting it was agreed to draft a policy for Africa to consider hydrological and water problems in Africa. The first committee was formed in 2019. The current Regional Committee for Africa board members are:

Chair Hodson Makurira  Zimbabwe – University of Zimbabwe
Vice Chair Bertil Nlend Cameroon – University of Douala
Secretary Moctar Dembélé Burkina Faso – IWMI
Past Chairs

Hubert Savenije
Gil Mahé

Netherlands – TU Delft
France - IRD

Main objective of the Working Group:

To get more participation of (young) African hydrologist in activities of IAHS, to support and mentor the hydrological community and to support networking activities, to strengthen ongoing activities and to connect the hydrological community within Africa and with the global stage through:

-          Strengthen initiatives that already work, such as WaterNet and UNESCO FRIEND-Water

-          Support group initiatives that already work

Bring more young people to IAHS meetings, e.g. through the IAHS SYSTA travel award scheme for early career scientists in financially disadvantaged countries.

The IAHS Working Group for Africa can help to:

    • Identify possible applicants for the SYSTA scheme, in particular females
    • Identify where are new graduate schools in hydrological science in Africa and approach them, send flyers of IAHS initiatives, to find new members. Use the UNESCO and African network: UNESCO representatives, category 2 centres, Centres of Excellence, Pan-African University, programmes like WASCAL
    • Use social media and Young Hydrologists Society to raise the profile of IAHS in Africa and attract new members
    • Shape the future and current status of hydrology in Africa, addressed to young hydrologists.

The IAHS Working Group for Africa will have a strong focus on young scientists in Africa through activities, such as:

    • Providing individual mentoring, e.g. on improving papers to increase acceptance
    • Providing scientific reinforcement of African teams
    • Connecting young African scientists to the global community
    • Providing key resources (e.g. how to write a paper, MOOCS, open course software) or map out existing open courseware etc.
    • Linking to the SYSTA travel award scheme for early career scientists
    • Encouraging more young scientists from Africa to join IAHS meetings, e.g. by encouraging and supporting applications to the SYSTA travel award scheme for early career scientist
    • Facilitation to enter the global arena of hydrology, through making cases for high quality publications by young scientists in Africa for funding payments to PIAHS or open access publication in HSJ
    • Workspace shared by young scientists to speed the exchange of knowledge.

Note that IAHS members in financially disadvantaged countries, including all countries in Africa, already have free online access to HSJ.

Operations of the IAHS Working Group for Africa

The working group is open to active members. The working group will convene four times per year through a video conference or at IAHS meetings to monitor progress and distribute tasks among the members.

A budget to support the activities of the IAHS Working Group for Africa will be proposed by the Committee Chair annually and reviewed and agreed at the IAHS Ltd Board meeting, normally held in early February. The IAHS Working Group for Africa will set the criteria for funding dispersal processes. Proposals for the beneficiaries will be discussed within the Working Group, and ratified with the IAHS Secretary General and Treasurer to ensure coordination with other internal IAHS funding streams, such as SYSTA.  The Chair of the IAHS Working Group for Africa will report on activities at an IAHS Bureau meeting every year.

For more information contact [email protected] 

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