GCRF Groundwater for Resilience in Africa Network (GRAN)

The key strategy and framework around GRAN implementation is to strengthen the research-operation-policy axis related to groundwater and its integration into broader water resources management and development policies. This will be achieved through these key activities:

1. An initial stakeholder mapping and consultation exercise, scoping out the seven potential network themes and further engaging and committing key network partners to a joint vision of sustainable groundwater development and management in Africa through enhanced collaboration, capacity development and solution implementation
2. Synthesis, translation and dissemination of research outputs (in collaboration with researchers and programme knowledge brokers) to create relevant, accessible (online) and useable material to a range of non-academic stakeholders. This step will focus on research outputs, which have already demonstrated solutions (technical, legal, policy, institutional/engagement based) with significant outscaling potential. Research results will also feed into important capacity development networks in Africa (e.g. AGW-Net) to stimulate a domino effect of dissemination of knowledge.
3. Two continental-scale workshops, organised to coincide with existing events led by AMCOW and SADC-GMI, which will bring together academic and non-academic beneficiaries to exchange experiences around each network theme; themes may then go on to form the basis of several sub-networks
4. Support to smaller (national-scale) events and online interactions (such as the RWSN webinar series) responding to expressed demand for research-into-use collaboration around groundwater
5. Ongoing engagement with network partners through identified sub-network leads or champions to anchor sub-networks beyond the GRAN, with support from GRIPP.

The proposed network, GRAN, will build on and expand existing groundwater-related structures through two major international events, complemented by smaller events, virtual meeting activities and curation and dissemination of material through online platforms such as GRIPP and the Africa Groundwater Atlas. The larger events, one of which will be held within the first six months of the network, will evolve around already planned events, one with focus on policy development and one with focus on Research-into-Use, while both will target policy makers, researchers and practitioners. The first will be led by AMCOW (in Western Africa), and the second by SADC-GMI (in Southern Africa). The key objective of the meetings is to exchange knowledge on groundwater management and development potentials and risks and how to address these by incorporating lessons from recent significant research and piloting/implementation of technical, institutional or policy solutions, with implications for capacity development. The meetings will make updated inventory of key institutions in the regions engaged in groundwater research, management and policy development. The events will be thematically structured around key challenges that may ultimately underpin a series of sub-networks.

The intended impact of GRAN is to enhance the resilience of rural and urban populations to environmental shocks (i.e. flood and drought) and environmental change (e.g. via climate, population, land use changes) through the sustainable development and management of groundwater. The GRAN will achieve this by effectively building on and enhancing existing networks and partnerships to facilitate the exchange and application of research results and experiences on integrated groundwater-focused solutions to human and ecosystem resilience.

Complimentary challenges related to food systems, health, cities and sustainable infrastructure, as well as conflict, refugee crises and forced displacement will also be addressed as they relate to, or are dependent on, the water security and resilience associated with groundwater availability and access.