This event is organised in the framework of the European Commission (EC) support project to the African Union/NEPAD Networks of Water Centres of Excellence implemented by the EC Joint Research Centre (JRC).
The following themes will be addressed:
· Research Management (DAY 1)
· Knowledge Management for Water Resources data (DAY 2)
· Regional data sharing for climate variability impact on water resources Availability (Day3)
· A joint stakeholders analysis of the water sector in Western Africa (Day 4 and Day 5)
Context
In the past decades the EU has developed a wide cooperation network through Aid, Development Cooperation and Technical and Scientific Cooperation. By adopting in 2002 the Communication on water management in developing countries, a paper setting out EU priorities for development cooperation on water, the EC recognised the crucial role of water resources management for sustainable development. The management of water resources is fundamental to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for which the European Union (EU) has undertaken many commitments to help accelerate progress in reaching these ambitious targets.
In 2009 the EC established a support project to the AU/NEPAD Networks of Centres of Excellence (Water CoE) in Western and in Southern Africa in order to improve the impact of African research and development on the water resource sector. The European Commission is funding, through the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the networks in order to enable Africa to benefit from the diversity of institutions and programmes available across the continent for south to south capacity development with the final aim of strengthening the link between policy and research and higher education.
Objectives
This workshop is the first of a series of 3 project workshops that will be held in 2013 in 3 Western African countries members of the Western African Networks of Water Centres of Excellence: Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Senegal.
The exchanging and disseminating of good practises in water resources management will embrace the following specific objectives:
- Improving the functioning of the Network of Centres of Excellence
- Development of research management capacities
- Identifying and carrying out the EC project scientific activities
- Presenting the results of the joint stakeholders analysis of the water sector in Western Africa
- Establish the work plan for the next phase including the EC project scientific activities
Logistic
The workshop will be held in Abuja, Nigeria, from the 11 to 15 of February 2013.
The hosts of the workshop are the two Nigerian institutions members of the Network, the National Water Research Institute of Kaduna and the University of Benin in Benin City.