RIfS Africa Task Team

The Africa Task Team defines and addresses regional-specific challenges on climate information for society in Africa. The Task Team facilitates and steers this work for RIfS in Africa, and could become a model for how RIfS organizes similar activities in other regions of the world.

This Task Team is majority African in membership and co-chaired by researchers living and working on the continent. The problem of the “missing middle” between climate research and stakeholder contexts appears in every region, and this Task Team focuses on the specific issues within Africa, and help shape the agenda for investment in research capacity in the coming years. 

Africa-based staff is supporting the Task Team during an initial 2 year period, thanks to a partnership with the CLARE Programme.

Expected outcomes

• Foster collaboration and partnerships around frontier research on the generation, analysis, construction, and communication of robust climate change information aligned and engaged with stakeholder contexts;
• Develop climate literacy and relevant capacity among the web of actors engaged in managing climate risk and building resilience to climate impacts;
• Build an Africa Community of Practice around transdisciplinary approaches to climate and society;
• Synthesize lessons from pilot studies around the continent.

The team is tasked to:

• Define and participate in pilot projects;
• Collectively advocate for the development of the pan-African research community;
• Develop a prioritization of needed resources to develop research capacity on the African continent in the coming years;
• Contribute to journal articles and/or white papers on these issues;
• Work with the RIfS Working Group on Robust Information to share African perspectives about robust climate change information for decisions with counterparts in other parts of the world.

Members

Eman Ahmad	Co-chair	GOPP Egypt
Moussa Diakhate	Co-chair	Amadou-Mahtar M’Bow University
Wilma Nchito	Co-chair	University of Zambia
Amanda Grossi	Member	Alliance Bioversity & CIAT
Ayansina Ayanlade	Member	Obafemi Awolowo University
Cheikh Modou Noreyni Fall	Member	Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar
Mastawesha Misganaw Engdaw	Member	Alliance Bioversity & CIAT
Mouhamadou Bamba Sylla	Member	African Institute for Mathematical Sciences Research and Innovation Centre
Romaric christel Odoulami	Member	University of Cape Town
Sabina Abba Omar	Member	University of Cape Town
Safietiou Sanfo	Member	WASCAL
Bruce Hewitson	Ex-officio Member (and RIfS SSG co-chair)	University of Cape Town

For any questions related to this group, please contact: africa@wcrp-rifs.org