This interdisciplinary session invites contributions that strengthen Africa’s research capacity in the environmental, and climate sciences. We welcome initiatives that address all stages of the research cycle: the collection of in situ and remotely sensed data; the development of models and analytical frameworks; the translation of research into practical applications; and the communication of results to stakeholders, policy makers, and communities. Submissions may include co-designed monitoring systems, field and training networks, open science and FAIR data initiatives, cross-continental partnerships, and efforts to embed research within global policy frameworks such as the SDGs, Paris Agreement and Sendai Framework. Submissions across the full range of sub-disciplines are encouraged, including but not limited to global change, natural hazards, land and ecosystem dynamics and sustainable resource use.
We particularly encourage examples that highlight inclusivity, equity, and African leadership - such as programmes empowering early-career researchers, women scientists, and underrepresented institutions. By showcasing diverse initiatives, this session aims to share effective practices, identify common challenges, and inspire new pathways for collaboration within and beyond Africa - Europe partnerships. A follow-up splinter meeting will provide additional space for discussion, networking and exchange among interested participants.
In Africa, air pollution and extreme heat hazards are complex and influenced by interconnected socioeconomic, political, and environmental factors. These challenges remain poorly understood especially in the peri-urban landscapes of Africa where poor air quality has been exacerbated by rapid and unplanned urbanization in addition to global climate change. The unplanned and rapid expansion in peri-urban landscapes hinders the implementation of coherent or effective measures against air pollution and extreme heat. The combination of degraded air quality and weather-related hazards can increase the burden on already struggling households in peri-urban communities.
The COPPAQ consortium brings together partners from South Africa (coordination of the project), France, Kenya, Ivory Coast and the USA aiming to propose a transdisciplinary approach to address growing challenges associated with air pollution and extreme heat in peri-urban areas of sub-Saharan African cities. With the goal to strengthen the understanding of hazards, exposure and vulnerability and to guide effective policies for extreme heat resilience and clean air, the project will:
- combine state-of-the-art remote sensing with high resolution air quality modeling to measure and map geographic and temporal patterns of air pollution and extreme heat
- identify underlying processes that may cause existing patterns of air pollution and extreme heat using diverse datasets, including remotely-sensed land use/land cover characteristics and emissions inventories
- create comprehensive and nuanced knowledge on exposure, sensitivity and capacity to respond to risk by combining GIS analyses with communities' perspectives
- jointly-design solutions for air pollution and extreme heat challenges by bringing together community members, policy-makers, and researchers.
Several datasets will be produced in collaboration with the Copernicus European program, more particularly with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), which will support access to and further development of satellite observations and emissions data. Most of the datasets generated by the project will be made available to the actors and users of the project through the ECCAD platform. ECCAD (Emissions of atmospheric Compounds and Compilation of Ancillary Data: eccad.sedoo.fr) will provide a user-friendly access and training to the project results, especially for datasets on emissions of pollutants and greenhouse gases, as well as for satellite-based observations.
How to cite: Granier, C., Davis, N., Garland, R., Liousse, C., Keita, S., Karanja, F. N., Zilbermann, N., Doumbia, T., Bouarar, I., Leon, J.-F., Tang, W., Kumar, R., Wilhelmi, O., and Brasseur, G.: COPPAQ, a project to address air pollution and extreme heat in peri-urban areas of sub-Saharan African cities: challenges and access to the project results , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-6366, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-6366, 2026.
Engagement of local communities and stakeholders in development of climate change adaptation solutions has become one of the key factors for successful outcomes particularly in developing countries. However, despite various European initiatives focusing on supporting knowledge transfer and collaborative scientific and applied projects, many African countries still face challenges related to ensure sustainability and visibility of impacts. Overcoming these constraints remains a core challenge in developing countries. The more opportunities countries have, the better they are equipped to face climate change and build resilience.
The Research and Transfer Centre “Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management (FTZ NK)” has a several decades experience in supporting knowledge technology transfer including training programmes and community engagement as well as fundamental and applied research on climate issues.
In this session, we will share key insights and good practices of two key projects of the Centre that illustrate how distinctive collaborative multistakeholder action has contributed effectively to the translation of research results into practical applications and communication of results to communities and stakeholders in the context of climate change impacts and adaptation in Africa are:
Project “Green Garden/Jardins adaptés au climat (Towards Climate Resilient Farming/Des jardins partagés et d'adaptation aux changements climatiques)”, jointly funded by the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund (NFRF) and by the Deutsch Forschungsgemienschaft (DFG) brings together 200 vulnerable farmers from seven enterprises in Benin, Morocco, and Canada and 20 researchers representing an interdisciplinary consortium of researchers from Canada, Germany, Morocco, and Benin to co-design and adopt successful climate change adaptation practices in agriculture and agroforestry in collaboration with local communities.
Project “RECC-LUM (Feasibility Study on Climate Change, Land Use Management, and Renewable Energy in The Gambia)” funded by BMFTR and supported by The Gambia Ministry of Higher Education, Research, Science, and Technology (MoHERST) focuses on sustainable land management practices within the Gambian agricultural landscape and the role played by using renewable energy in the process with active engagement of local farmers. Besides co-creation and collaborative learning with local stakeholders and strong international cooperation and visibility, one of the key components of the project is continuous and strong communication of results to stakeholders and policy makers.
How to cite: Kovaleva, M. and Wolf, F.: Bridging science and practice – good practice from multistakeholder partnerships between Europe and Africa , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-13070, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-13070, 2026.
In Africa, more than 1 million deaths, annually, have been linked to air pollution-related diseases, with limitations in air pollution epidemiological data pointing to higher estimates. Rapid urbanization and industrialization, along with climate-driven extreme events will further exacerbate Africa’s current air quality problems through increases in anthropogenic gas-phase and particulate emissions, in addition to the natural emissions produced by vegetation, soil, forest fires, and dust, making air quality a continental priority. Africa is one of the most under-monitored and under-studied regions in the world, where the scarcity in observations brings large uncertainties to emission inventories, limits modeling capacity, introduces data gaps, and limits satellite validation. Several initiatives have identified an urgent need for a coordinated, Africa-led network, involving researchers and technicians for air quality analysis and forecasting, along with the establishment of a network of stakeholders who will actively participate and benefit from the air quality forecasting system.
To mitigate the impacts of poor air quality on African communities and enable timely alerts and quick decision-making, a new international initiative called Advancing Forecasting, Research, and Integrated Collaboration for African Air Quality (AFRICA-AQ) has been established. AFRICA-AQ aims to develop a sustainable, Africa-led partnership that will strengthen the integration of air quality observations (e.g., ground-based, satellites, field campaigns) and emissions, as well as modeling and artificial intelligence efforts to enable African communities to develop and use a comprehensive and validated multi-scale air quality forecasting system covering the entire African continent. AFRICA-AQ has garnered interest from across the world with partners across Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia with wide ranges of expertise. AFRICA-AQ has initiated several working groups and connected with several on-going activities. A brief description of AFRICA-AQ, progress updates, and future work are provided in this presentation.
How to cite: Mariscal, N., Brasseur, G., Kumar, R., and Granier, C.: Advancing Forecasting, Research, and Integrated Collaboration for African Air Quality (AFRICA-AQ), EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-15007, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-15007, 2026.
Land degradation in Sub-Saharan Africa presents a multi-scalar challenge that requires more than isolated technical interventions; it demands a closed-loop system that connects regional monitoring, human capacity building, and site-specific restoration. We propose a holistic framework structured around the "Detect-Empower-Restore" cycle. This approach integrates three interconnected projects to foster resilient agroecosystems across the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Zambia, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Ethiopia and Mozambique.
The "Detect" phase is anchored by DeltaSense, an innovative remote sensing tool that utilizes inland lake deltas as sensitive geomorphic "sentinels" of regional landscape health. Because deltas aggregate the cumulative impacts of upstream land-use changes, they provide a high-level diagnostic of catchment-wide degradation. Building on pilot studies in the Lake Kivu region, DeltaSense utilizes 40 years of satellite time-series data—calibrated by UAV imagery and bathymetric surveys—to identify degradation hotspots driven by deforestation, mining, and agricultural expansion. By analyzing delta dynamics, we can pinpoint precisely where the upstream terrestrial "health" is failing or, conversely, identify where remediation practices are succeeding.
The "Empower" phase addresses the critical gap between data and action through the SHE-CREEDS project. Recognizing that data alone cannot drive change, this initiative establishes a transnational knowledge network involving six African nations. By supporting and training specialists in the field of sustainability science, SHE-CREEDS seeks to harmonize scientific standards and training protocols across six regional institutions. The project focuses on climate-smart agriculture, efficient energy and water technologies, integrated with digitalization. The capacity developed from this can also help foster the insights generated by DeltaSense in ways that can be translated into actionable intelligence by a local and skilled workforce.
Closing the loop, the "Restore" phase focuses on the physical recovery of critically damaged landscapes, exemplified by the project "From Monitoring to Managing Soil and Water Degradation in Tanzanian Gullies." Focusing on extreme gully erosion in Northern Tanzania, this stage applies the cycle’s findings to ground-level engineering and soil management. By transitioning from monitoring to active management, we implement locally co-designed and implemented restoration techniques to stabilize small-to-medium-sized gullies, preventing further sediment loss and attempting to restore the productivity of the surrounding agroecosystems in the long term.
The synthesis of these three projects creates a robust feedback loop: DeltaSense provides the macro-scale diagnosis; SHE-CREEDS mobilizes the technical expertise and digital tools; and the Tanzanian Gully project delivers the micro-scale physical remediation. This integrated methodological framework moves beyond traditional silos, offering a scalable action plan for environmental management where satellite-based detection informs local remediation through context-specific methods implemented by a competent workforce. If further scaled and maintained, this framework could contribute to a significant advancement in environmental monitoring, providing a replicable blueprint for achieving socio-ecological resilience in the regions facing rapid environmental change.
How to cite: Lizaga, I. and the DeltaSense | SHE-CREEDS | IMARA-G: The "Detect-Empower-Restore" Cycle: A Collaborative Framework for Agroecosystem Resilience across Sub-Saharan Africa, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19377, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19377, 2026.
Enhancing WASCAL foot print toward low carbon used and the collaboration with member countries through the training of high qualified experts in Green Hydrogen
, Daouda Kone1, Emmanuel Wendsongré Ramde1 Mounkaila Saley1, Michael Thiel2
1- WASCAL Headquarters, CSIR Office, Complex Agostino Road, Airport Residential Areal, PMB CT 504, kone.d@wascal.org
2- Earth Observation Research Cluster, Institute of Geography and Geology, Julius-Maximilians-University of Würzburg, John-Skilton-Str. 4a, 97074 Würzburg, Germany, michael.thiel@uni-wuerzburg.de
ramde.e@wascal.org
The West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and adapted Land Use (WASCAL) has a vision to become Africa's leading institution for climate change and sustainable energy solutions. To achieve this, WASCAL is committed to engage all the west African countries in the process of low carbon emission. One on the challenge in the integration of renewable and clean energy in different sector on human activities such us access to water, livestock production, agriculture, Energy, transport, air quality monitoring, mining etc. Green Hydrogen is the most promising clean source of energy particularly for Africa where is potential have been assess through the Atlas project implemented by the German partners and WASCAL for the 15 West African countries (https://www.google.com/search?q=green+hydrogen+atlas-africa&oq=Green+hydrogen+Atlas+&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgEEAAY7wUyBggAEEUYOTIICAEQABgKGB4yCggCEAAYBRgHGB4yCAgDEAAYCBgeMgcIBBAAGO8FMgcIBRAAGO8FMgcIBhAAGO8FMgcIBxAAGO8FMgcICBAAGO8F0gEJMjYxMDBqMGo3qAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8).
The follow-up of this Atlas was the elaboration of the International Master Programme in Energy and Green Hydrogen, a relevant training programme, the first of kind in Africa bringing together students from 15 west African country to be trained in six different tracks. The curriculum was developed after a need assessment with stakeholders where the GAP was identified and the opportunity of jobs. Then four (4) countries were selected for the implementation of the curriculum.
To provide solid knowledge and prepare the graduate to have a competitive spirit as well as create a very good connection between the learners, a mobility scheme was designed to have the first and the second semesters in Niger, the third semester which is the specialization in the host country and the fourth semester in Germany. At the end of the German scientific visit of 6 months the defence is done in the host country in Africa.
After the cohort, most of the students are in PhD or working for their country. For the assurance quality, the programme went to the process of international accreditation by ASIIN. Then the third cohort was embarked in a training period of 4 semesters plus and additional semester to make one year the stay in Germany to capacitate the graduates with more practical activities.
WASCAL through the support of BMFTR provides funds to ECREEE to develop the green hydrogen policy for countries followed by the green hydrogen strategy development. This green strategy development will be expanded to other countries.
The International Master Programme in Energy and Green Hydrogen is a great opportunity to provide Africa with graduates and also relevant documents to support Africa Green hydrogen technology deployment. It will also help the use of WASCAL green Hydrogen policy in country and also the development of green hydrogen strategy.
How to cite: Kone, D., Ramde, E. W., Saley, M., and Thiel, M.: Enhancing WASCAL foot print toward low carbon used and the collaboration with member countries through the training of high qualified experts in Green Hydrogen, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-19651, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-19651, 2026.
Kenya faces increasing climate related health risks driven by rising temperatures, worsening air quality, and rapid socio environmental change. A quantitative Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment is urgently needed to inform evidence based National Health Adaptation Plans and subsequent investment cases. This contribution presents a complementary role for applied research to strengthen Kenya’s Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment, with a specific focus on heat stress and air pollution as two of the most climate sensitive health outcomes.
Building on the World Health Organization Vulnerability and Adaptation assessment framework, we demonstrate how high-resolution quantitative exposure modelling can support all stages of the assessment process. Using integrated atmospheric and health impact models, we assess population exposure to heat stress and air pollution across past, present, and future climate conditions. Furthermore, the effect of mitigation measures, such as shifting work hours, is assessed. Heat stress is quantified using the wet bulb globe temperature framework, incorporating meteorological drivers such as temperature, humidity, wind, and solar radiation, as well as individual vulnerability factors including activity level and demographic characteristics. Air pollution exposure focuses on fine particulate matter, ozone, and nitrogen oxides, which represent the dominant air quality related health risks in Kenya. By accounting for co-exposure to heat stress and air pollution, the modelling framework captures compounded health risks and supports integrated climate, air quality, and public health policy assessment.
A key added value of the modelling approach is source attribution, enabling air pollution exposure to be linked to both emission sector and geographic origin. This provides direct action perspectives for policy design and allows climate mitigation measures to be evaluated for their associated health co-benefits. Quantitative relationships between environmental exposures and health endpoints, including respiratory and non-communicable diseases, are applied in alignment with Global Burden of Disease methodologies.
The contribution further outlines pathways for integrating satellite observations, sensor-based measurements, and sustained monitoring systems to support long term evaluation of adaptation measures. By embedding advanced quantitative methods within an existing national assessment framework, this work highlights how targeted international collaboration can enhance African leadership in climate health adaptation, strengthen decision relevant evidence, and support sustainable capacity development in line with global policy frameworks.
How to cite: el Malki, M., Ammerlaan, B., Pekel, F., Traini, E., Shen, Y., Skoulidou, I., Mwanti, A., Chapa, M., Nzioka, S., Gohole, A., Pronk, A., Mwangi, T., and Henzing, B.: Strengthening Kenya’s Climate and Health Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment (CHVA) through Quantitative Heat and Air Pollution Modelling , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21218, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21218, 2026.
Since more than 12 years the University of Würzburg and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, cooperating on capacity development activities in the frame of climate change induced land use changes. The partners run a joint Doktoral Programme in Ghana which is also open for other external contributions. The presentation will mainly highlight the results and impact of this longterm cooperation. But it will also discuss issues that we have faced during the implementation. Results and impact will not only be presented by scientific output, but will also contain the methodological development over the cooperation lifetime. While the impact will also be discussed based on the CV of selected anonymized PhD students of the Programme.
How to cite: Thiel, M. and Agyare, W.: Results and impact from 12 years cooperation on climate change related land use change , EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21231, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21231, 2026.
Following graduates and make available relevant curricula to better skill the next generation of Climate Experts
Daouda KONE1, Emmanuel Wendsongré RAMDE1, Mounkaila SALEY1, Michael THIEL2
The West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and adapted Land Use (WASCAL) has established 13 GSP in 12 countries with 2 GSP in Nigeria. WASCAL have trained more up to 700 graduates from its 12 graduates study programme. With the addition of Guinea to make the number of schools to 12, a total of 156 students is in the training process. The challenge is the access of job and how to make the curriculum more relevant and attractive. To assess this relevance WASCAL have undertaken a tracer study to identify for each programme. The objective of the tracer study is to conduct at individual level a survey to identify the graduate and track the change in their live. Such locate the workplace of the graduates.
The methodology is based on a mixed-methods research design, integrating both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis techniques to obtain a comprehensive understanding of the professional trajectories, employability, and impact of WASCAL graduates. The study was conducted in three sequential phases (i) Quantitative Phase, involving the administration of a structured online tracer survey; (ii)Qualitative Phase, consisting of semi-structured interviews with selected alumni and employers; and (iii) Desk Review Phase, focusing on verification of records and contextual information from academic and administrative sources. The target population comprised all graduates of WASCAL’s Master’s Research Programmes (MRPs) and Doctoral Research Programmes (PhDs) hosted in various West African universities between 2014 and 2025.
Related to the data collection, instruments and proceedures, three complementary data collection instruments were used to gather information from multiple sources. A structured questionnaire was designed and administered electronically through the WASCAL Alumni Network database using kobocollect online data collection tool. This instrument captured quantitative data on employment status, job sector, geographic mobility.
Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed systematically to generate reliable and interpretable results. Quantitative Analysis: Data obtained from the online questionnaire were exported from KoboCollect online platform for statistical processing. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, and cross-tabulations were computed to summarize key patterns in employment, education, and geographic distribution.
The results indicate a significant gender imbalance among WASCAL graduates, with male respondents representing 76.4% of the total sample, while female graduates constitute only 23.6%. This disparity highlights the persistent underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and environmental disciplines across. The participation of 23.6% female graduates demonstrates WASCAL’s ongoing efforts to promote gender inclusion and equity in climate change education and research. The results show that the highest proportion of respondents graduated in 2023 (30.2%), followed by those from 2025 (25.0%), together accounting for more than half of all respondents (55.2%).
This tracer study was very important to highlith the employability of WASCAL graduates and identify the relvance of the curriculum. It was important to identify the impact of alumi and the perspective of collaboration with WASCAL alumni’s institution.
How to cite: Koné, D., Ramde, E. W., Mounkaila, M., and Thiel, M.: Following graduates and make available relevant curricula to better skill the next generation of Climate Experts, EGU General Assembly 2026, Vienna, Austria, 3–8 May 2026, EGU26-21469, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu26-21469, 2026.
