Internal Evaluation of the SASSCAL Graduate Studies Programme in Integrated #Water Resources Management (SGSP-IWRM)

SASSCAL Begins Internal Evaluation of Graduate Studies Programme in Integrated #Water Resources Management. The Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) has commenced an internal evaluation of its Graduate Studies Programme in Integrated Water Resources Management (SGSP-IWRM). The #evaluation process is running from 5 to 8 November 2024. The programme, initiated in 2022, is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through a four-year grant agreement.

The SGSP-IWRM was created to promote #regional collaboration in PhD-level education and research, aiming to strengthen expertise across multiple specialisations within Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM). Thirteen students are currently enrolled in the programme, which is hosted at the Namibia University of Science and Technology and is set to run until 2025.

Attending the official opening of the evaluation were several distinguished officials, including Prof. Kouévi Gabin Ananou, Head of the Coordination Team for Climate Competence Centres for WASCAL and SASSCAL at Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) in Bonn, Germany, and Dr. Layla Hashweh, Coordinator of SGSP-IWRM at the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change (ICWRGC).  Other notable attendees included Dr. Joel Botai, Chairperson of the SASSCAL Scientific Advisory Committee; Dr. Budzanani Tacheba, SASSCAL Director of Science, Technology, and Capacity Development; Prof. Julien Adounkpé, Director of WASCAL-UAC; Dr. Kawawa Banda, member of SASSCAL’s Scientific Advisory Committee; Dr. Vasco Chiteculo, SASSCAL’s Programme Coordinator at the Angolan Node; and Kevin Stephanus, SASSCAL’s Senior Professional Officer for Human Capacity Development. Prof. Ananou remarked on the significance of the evaluation, noting that it will guide SASSCAL's future academic initiatives and potentially support an extension of the current programme. Furthermore, findings from this evaluation will assist in establishing a new Graduate Studies Programme in Angola in 2025.

The evaluation’s objectives are to assess the scientific and academic achievements of the #SGSP-IWRM, identify lessons learned, review financial and administrative processes, and provide recommendations for enhancing the programme’s structure and effectiveness.

Research, Innovation and Partnerships at NUST Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung