Volume 8 | June 2020
June 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
Frexus: Improving security and climate resilience in a fragile context through the Water-Energy-Food Security Nexus

The  FREXUS project  is aimed to improve security and climate resilience in a fragile context of the Sahel region through the Water-Energy and Food Security Nexus (Frexus), in Mali, Niger and Chad. The objective is to increase peace and stability in areas where resource conflict is exacerbated by climate change.

Webinar Series on Farmer-Led Irrigation Development (FLI)
The International Water Management Institute (IWMI) together with the World Bank, The Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute and the Global Water Partnership (GWP) are hosting a virtual mini-series to discuss key issues and identify a way forward for operationalizing sustainable and inclusive scaling of farmer-led irrigation development. The webinar series is geared towards practitioners, policy makers, private sector and researchers interested in further advancing FLI globally and overcoming the often observed systemic barriers in reaching scale.

Publication: Rethinking land reform in Africa: new ideas, opportunities and challenges

In response to challenges across Africa around land ownership and use, the African Natural Resources Centre (ANRC) of the African Development Bank is launching a series of articles to aid policy debate. The publication,  Rethinking land reform in Africa: New ideas, opportunities and challenges , follows last November’s Conference on Land Policy in Africa, organised by the ANRC in Abidjan, and the 10th anniversary of the African Union Declaration on Land.

Featured Events
Webinar – A new era for food and climate: Driving transformative actions

A new era for food and climate: Driving transformative actions , is a full-day, around-the-world virtual relay event on June 25th that starts in Australia and concludes in Colombia. The event aims to inspire collective action on the 11 priorities laid out in the flagship report of the  Transforming Food Systems Under a Changing Climate  initiative, catalyzing efforts to address the current food crisis prompted by COVID-19 and averting future food insecurity from our changing climate.

WaterNet/WARFSA/GWP-SA Symposium

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 .  The venue for the 21st Symposium is the Elephant Hills Resort.   The National University of Science and Technology is the lead host of the 21st Symposium

3rd SADC Groundwater Conference

This conference seeks to advocate for a more central and pronounced role for groundwater in the WEFE Nexus dialogue as a way of minimising shocks, risks and vulnerability to climate change. The conference will be offered parallel to the 8th Africa Water Week, and also align to the theme of the 8th Africa Water Week. Both the 3rd SADC Groundwater Conference and the 8th Africa Water Week (AWW8) are aimed at rallying Africa’s water sector towards a common voice as the world prepares for the 9th World Water Forum (9WWF) to be held in Dakar, Senegal in March 2021

Jobs and Internship Opportunities
Senior Research Assistant for Climate Change and Health in Africa
The University of Cape Town is hiring a Senior Research Assistant for Climate Change and Health in Africa through their Africa Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI)

Research Associate – Energy Water Climate Nexus
The Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) in Texas, USA, is currently looking for a research associate in the field of the Energy-Water-Climate Nexus.

PhD Assistantship Opportunity
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

Desalination for the Environment: Clean Water and Energy Conference: Event Postponed - new
date is 16-20 May 2021

Conference on Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE) Nexus scientific advances in the Mediterranean region: Event postponed to May 2021 - new dates will be announced

See website for more details and updated events
General Notice

Please send relevant news, events, or activities to Gracie Pekarcik to be published to site or featured in newsletter
Member Activity Updates
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.