Volume 6 | April 2020
April Newsletter
The Water-Energy-Food in Africa Initiative is excited to share with you updates on the current news and events, ways to get involved, and upcoming items to be on the lookout for
Member Registration and Collaborative Platform

If you have not yet done so, we highly encourage interested participants to join the WEF Nexus in Africa Initiative as a member of our website and the Collaborative Platform.
Featured News
Innovation Challenge by GIZ

T he global community has set itself the goal to end hunger by 2030. To achieve this, agriculture must become more efficient and sustainable along the entire value chain. Current approaches are not sufficient to achieve this. Practicable and regionally adapted innovations are needed. The Agricultural Innovation Fund aims to promote these. Apply now with your idea for Africa and South East Asia.

First Call for Abstracts: 21 WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium
T The 21st WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium will be held in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe 28th – 30th October 2020 under the theme Integrated Water Resources Management for Sustainable Development in East and Southern Africa. Authors are invited to submit their abstracts for presentation at the symposium for oral, poster or special session presentations.

Call for abstract proposals for the 2020 ‘GWSI Paper Series’ on Water Security and Sustainable Development Goals.

IWRA is collaborating with UNESCO International Centre for Water Security and Sustainable Management (i-WSSM) and together inviting you to submit abstract proposals for the 2020 ‘GWSI Paper Series’ on Water Security and Sustainable Development Goals. This year’s theme will focus on “The Role of Sound Groundwater Resources Management and Governance to Achieve Water Security”.

Featured Events
E-Learning Course: Sustainability of Social-Ecological Systems: The Nexus between Water, Energy and Food

The course is directed toward upper-division undergraduate and graduate students from a wide variety of disciplines (environmental sciences, engineering, agricultural sciences, social sciences) as well as professionals (NGOs, think tanks) and policy makers concerned with sustainable development in both developed and developing countries.

6th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity for the Water Sector

The 6th International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity Development: From Capacity Development to Implementation Science  will bring together scholars, decision-makers and practitioners to discuss the current and future role of capacity development within policy, operational practice and education. As in previous years, the event will act as a catalyst to build commitment among participants, leading to future action and collaboration.

Dresden Nexus Conference

IThe third Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC2020) will take place 3–5 June 2020 under the theme “Circular Economy in a Sustainable Society”. DNC2020 aims to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable economy by focusing on identifying and discussing the concepts that nexus thinking offers to support the transition towards a circular economy. A Nexus Approach shares many synergies with the concept of a circular economy – a system that eliminates waste, keeps resources in use, and contributes to regenerating natural systems.

Jobs and Internship Opportunities
Internship Opportunity: Food-Energy-Water Systems Analysis (Year-round) Graduate Student Intern

A graduate student internship position is available in the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) Strategic Energy Analysis Center. NREL is the nation’s primary laboratory for research, development and deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies.

Nexus Project Cluster – Two Internship Opportunities at UNU-FLORES
Two internship positions available: Partnerships and Liaison Officer and Biodiversity in Business Strategy and Management with the Nexus Project Cluster.

Student Assistant - Dresden Nexus Conference
The third edition of the Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC2020) will take place 3–5 June 2020 in the heart of Saxony. DNC is a one-of-a-kind event, bringing together actors from academia, civil society, industry, and government from all over the world to discuss the sustainable management of environmental resources. Under the authority of the Director of UNU-FLORES, and the direct supervision of the Dresden Nexus Conference (DNC) Coordinator, the successful candidate will contribute to the DNC 2020 and other events by supporting in the following tasks

Event changes due to COVID-19

Africa Climate Wee k : Event Postponed – dates to be announced

Sustainable Energy for All Forum: Event Postponed - new date is 16-18 February 2021
General Notice

Please send relevant news, events, or activities to Gracie Pekarcik to be published to site or featured in newsletter
Member Activity Updates
Jacobson named first Global Faculty Fellow in College of Agricultural Sciences
Michael Jacobson, professor of forest resources in the  Department of Ecosystem Science and Management , will help lead the college's Ag2Africa programming, as well as collaborate with Penn State's Office of Global Programs in its efforts to build a Water, Energy, Food Systems (WEFS) initiative in Africa.

The Development of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus as a Framework for Achieving Resource Security: A Review

This paper presents a study of the evolution of the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus since its rise to prominence in policy and development discourses in 2011. Drawing from an extensive review of published literature, the paper presents various interpretations of the concept while also considering the novelty of the WEF nexus. The challenge of integrating and optimising the components of this multi-centric nexus is examined, with four case studies being presented. Various criticisms levelled at the WEF nexus, such as the neglect of livelihoods and the environment in assessments, are noted, together with governance considerations associated with this framework. Finally, the potential of the WEF nexus to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals is reviewed.