Tales of AfricaAdapt

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observed that there was no common platformwhere local communities could exchangetheir knowledge. IDRC and IDS agreedthat for such a network to be sustainable, aminimum number of African institutions hadto be involved. They worked on minimumcriteria for partner institutions, such asmandate, potential contribution and capacityto implement. IDS initiated the process byinviting eligible African institutions to presentexpressions of interest in joining a knowledgesharingpartnership at a series of regionalmeetings around Africa (funded by IDRC).The aim of these meetings, according to anIDS staff member who was on the searchcommittee, was ‘to understand and analysethe offer of potential partners in relationto establishing a consortium that can beoperational to immediately respond to theclimate change challenge. The partnersshould have the capacity to deliver and haveexperience in working within a consortium.’The initial scoping for partners was held inAddis Ababa in April 2007, where potentialpartners and policy makers engaged withCCAA-supported participatory actionresearchprojects, were assessed on theirknowledge-sharing needs and vision for aknowledge-sharing network. The processgenerated interest from all fronts – research,NGOs, international organisations and CBOs.IDS and IDRC then organised two writeshopsin 2007 – the first in Senegal in Septemberand the second in Ghana in mid-October. Thepurpose was to identify institutions that coulddeliver within a short time frame and sustainthe long-term initiative. Ideas, informationand knowledge were shared by invitedinstitutions. Three African partner instituteswere ultimately selected- ENDA-TM, FARAand ICPAC. Through vibrant online exchangesthe three partners worked together withIDS to develop the final network proposal,which was submitted to IDRC just 2 weeksafter the October writeshop. The proposalwas founded on the belief that knowledgegenerated by research must benefit Africa’smost vulnerable people.In February 2008, the network’s inceptionphase commenced. Roles and responsibilitieswere openly discussed and designated on thebasis of the capacities of the partners.The network was officially launchedin May 2009 in Mombasa. To mark theoccasion, the AfricaAdapt team met withjournalists from the Kenyan media. Thisinteraction included a media field trip to theworld-famous mangrove plantation at GaziBay, which showcases the impacts of sea2 Tales of AfricaAdapt
AfricaAdapt inception meeting, Tunis, 2008Press conference at the launch of AfricaAdaptlevel rise and erosion along the Kenyan coastline, clearlydemonstrating the need for adaptation to climate change.The AfricaAdapt network was thus born.Since its launch, AfricaAdapt’s membership and reachhas grown steadily to over 1000 subscribers to its onlineplatform and many more who engage through faceto-facemeetings. The membership is composed ofresearchers, NGOs, CBOs, academia and the media.AfricaAdapt breaks barriers to sharing knowledge onadaptation through face-to-face events (‘Meet andGreets’) small grants to support community knowledgesharing (Innovation Fund), printed information products (anetwork newsletter, CD-ROMs and policy briefs like JotoAfrika), an interactive online platform (www.africa-adapt.net), and social media channels like Youtube and Twitter.The falling palm trees at Gazi Bay3
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Page 14 and 15: The endangered jackfruit tree (Arto
Page 16 and 17: Above and below: Drama and song is
Page 18 and 19: ‘Mosques, markets, even cemeterie
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Page 22 and 23: Moving forwardA recurrent question
Page 24 and 25: The faces of the AfricaAdapt core t
Page 26 and 27: Jacqueline Nnam2009 to presentKnowl
Page 28: About AfricaAdaptAfricaAdapt is an

Tales of AfricaAdapt

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