20 Years of Partnership in Marine Sciences between Cabo Verde and Germany – from Projects to Long-Term and Sustained Capacity Sharing

Cabo Verde, a Small Island Developing State (SIDS) off West Africa, and Germany have established a sustained long-term partnership in marine research. This 20-year long partnership, with capacity development in its centre, has begun with joint short-term research projects and evolved over the years into a sustained, long-term partnership. Besides long-term ocean observations in a socio-economically highly important region, the partnership established (i) on-shore research & knowledge exchange infrastructure such as the Ocean Science Centre Mindelo, (ii) a university M.Sc. graduation program in Cabo Verde for students from 12 West African countries, and (iii) a floating university program. This setting integrates perspectives and priorities from 3 different spheres: the international, the national (Cabo Verde) and the regional (West Africa).

In this presentation we will reflect on the establishment and achievements of this partnership and lessons learned along the way. We will report on how research capacities in Cabo Verde have increased and how the WASCAL M.Sc. program "Climate Change and Marine Sciences" in Cabo Verde – an UN Ocean Decade project hosted by the ECOP Decade program – brings together students from 12 West African countries with diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. Since the beginning of the M.Sc. program in 2020 and the Decade project, more than 50 students from the subregion have enrolled in the program and already more than 30 students graduated successfully so far. We will present how alumni proceed in their career and how many of them are engaged in the Ocean Decade ECOP network in Africa - to achieve the goals outlined in the Ocean Decade Africa Roadmap.