Context

This regional action area in Africa proposes an urgent need for increased representation of African researchers in climate science, especially within the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other science-policy platforms. As it is, only 11% of IPCC authors are from Africa. Significant challenges, such as limited funding, technical capacity, and institutional support, hinder broader participation, especially for early career researchers just starting out. 

This regional activity also speaks to the importance of African-led research in addressing local climate challenges and ensuring that global climate policies are informed by African perspectives and realities, given the severe climate impacts that the continent faces.

There is a need to increase the visibility and strengthen the confidence of early career researchers by promoting collaboration and co-creation, and ensuring their research can be mobilised and used for policy and practice. This work will support and strengthen national-level research/academic institutions in knowledge brokering capacities, transdisciplinary approaches, and repackaging research to enable them to engage more effectively with national, regional, and global bodies for science-policy coordination and synthesis. 

Project objective

The objective spotlights African researcher voices to enhance the connection between science, policy, and practice at national and regional levels. This will be supported by strengthening institutional processes that respond to existing climate change research gaps and priorities.

Project Activities 

1. Strengthen the capacity of national-level university institutions in knowledge brokering, trans-disciplinary approaches, and repackaging research, beginning with peer learning between the University of Namibia’s Department of Environmental Science and the University of Ghana’s Center for Environment and Sustainability. This activity will build the capacity of researchers to engage more effectively with national and regional organisations.   
2. Increase the visibility and strengthen the confidence of early career researchers in the region by promoting collaboration and co-creation.

Contact 

For more information email - prince@southsouthnorth.org