SASSCAL.org

🎓🌱Master's students under the Youth for Green Hydrogen Scholarship Programme are currently gathered in Windhoek for an engagement with the SASSCAL Executive Director and Management Team.

The session provides an opportunity for students to share their academic progress, discuss their current study status, highlight any challenges they are facing, and identify the additional support they may need to successfully complete their studies. It is also a valuable platform for SASSCAL to hear directly from the students and strengthen its support for the next generation of green hydrogen professionals.

The students are pursuing their studies at the University of Namibia (UNAM), the Namibia University of Science and Technology - NUST, and the International University of Management.

So far, 30 Master's students have successfully graduated through the programme, with more students expected to graduate this year and next year. In total, 94 Master's students have received scholarships in 2023 and 2024 under the programme, which also includes a study mobility opportunity at a German higher education institution.

The Youth for Green Hydrogen Scholarship Programme is funded by the German Government under the Namibia–Germany Joint Communiqué of Intent (JCoI), with SASSCAL serving as the implementing agency. The programme is contributing to the development of skilled young professionals who will support Namibia’s transition towards a green hydrogen economy.

Stay tuned for more updates and highlights from today's engagement! 📸✨

Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Land Reform

📢 SASSCAL to Engage Youth for Green Hydrogen Master's Students

SASSCAL will engage the Master's students under the Youth for Green Hydrogen Scholarship Programme on 6 August 2026 in Windhoek, Namibia. 🇳🇦

The engagement will focus on the Scholarship Extension, providing students with important information and an opportunity to discuss the way forward.

Stay tuned for more updates and highlights from the event! 💚🌍🎓

Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Land Reform

Project Launch: RealTest to Advance Green Hydrogen Research in Namibia

The official launch of the RealTest Project (Safety, REliability and Sustainability Research and TESTing for Green Hydrogen Technologies) will take place on 10 August 2026 at the UNAM Main Campus. The project will be officially launched by the Right Honourable Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia, Dr. Tjitunga Elijah Ngurare.

Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space under the Namibia–Germany Joint Communiqué of Intent (JCoI), the RealTest Project will strengthen Namibia's green hydrogen research, innovation, and industrial development.

The project is being implemented by the University of Namibia (UNAM)) through the Namibia Green Hydrogen Research Institute (NGHRI).

SASSCAL and UNAM signed the Funding and Cooperation Agreement on 8 August 2025, and project activities officially started on 1 October 2025.

Over the next three years, the project will:

🍃Test advanced materials for hydrogen infrastructure to ensure long-term safety and reliability.
🍃Develop improved welding technologies for large-scale hydrogen systems and support International Welding Engineering (IWE) training.
🍃Test and compare alkaline and proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser technologies to identify the most reliable and sustainable solutions for Namibia's green industries.
🍃Strengthen hydrogen safety by improving leak detection, failure prevention, and emergency response measures.

The research will be carried out through five connected work packages focusing on materials testing, component performance, hydrogen safety systems, advanced welding technologies, and electrolyser performance. These activities will help build Namibia's technical expertise and support the country's transition to a green hydrogen economy.

Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt Office of the Prime Minister OPM_Namibia Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Land Reform University of Namibia (UNAM)

🌍 DID YOU KNOW?

SASSCAL drives climate research and innovation through five key thematic areas that support a sustainable and climate-resilient future.

🌾 Food Security
Supporting sustainable and climate-smart food systems.

🌿 Biodiversity Conservation
Protecting ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources.

💧 Water Security
Promoting sustainable water management and water security.

🌦️ Climate Data
Providing reliable knowledge and information to support climate action.

🌳 Sustainable Forestry & Woodlands
Supporting sustainable forest management and conservation.

Together, these thematic areas contribute to science, innovation, and sustainable development in Southern Africa. 🌍💚

Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt

SASSCAL Explores Membership Expansion with Zimbabwe

The SASSCAL delegation, comprised of Prof. Patricia Mogomotsi, Vice Chairperson of the Governing Board and Head of Delegation; Mr. Teofilus Nghitila, Chairperson of the SASSCAL Governing Board (who joined virtually); Mr. John Lukonde Chongo, Alternate Governing Board Member; Prof. Nelago Indongo, Executive Director; and Ms. Johanna Mumangeni, Board Secretary and Legal Advisor, held a high-level engagement with the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Wildlife of Zimbabwe, represented by Mr. Washington Zhakata, Acting Permanent Secretary; Mr. Kudzai Ndidzano, Acting Director of Climate Change; and other senior Ministry officials.

The engagement took place today in Harare, Zimbabwe, on 28 July 2026.

Prof. Mogomotsi explained that the engagement formed part of SASSCAL's regional membership expansion initiative, aimed at strengthening regional collaboration in climate change, environmental research, and sustainable development.

She highlighted that SASSCAL provides governments with credible scientific evidence to support informed policy and decision-making. The delegation also used the opportunity to present the organisation's mandate, achievements, governance framework, and the process and requirements for becoming a Member State.

In his remarks, the SASSCAL Board Chair Mr. Nghitila emphasised that SASSCAL represents hope for strengthening the region's capacity to address climate change by generating knowledge, closing capacity gaps through scientific research, and developing resilience strategies to respond to the anticipated impacts of climate change.

Mr. Zhakata welcomed the engagement, noting the strong alignment between Zimbabwe's national climate policies and SASSCAL's mandate. He expressed the Government's interest in strengthening regional collaboration through SASSCAL and indicated that Zimbabwe would commence its internal consultation processes while working with the SASSCAL Regional Secretariat to support stakeholder sensitisation.

Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Botswana Ministry of Technology and Science - Zambia Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water & Land Reform Ministério do Ensino Superior, Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação Angola

🌍 Meet Christopher Shilengwe! 🎓

Christopher is a SASSCAL 2.0 Research Programme-sponsored Master’s graduate under the TIPPECC Project in Zambia.

🎓 He holds a Master of Science in Integrated Water Resources Management from the University of Zambia. His research focused on using satellite data and machine learning to better understand groundwater changes, drought, and climate impacts in the Upper Zambezi River Basin. 💧🌱

Christopher has published research articles and a SASSCAL Policy Brief, helping turn scientific research into practical recommendations for groundwater management, drought preparedness, and climate adaptation.

He is currently pursuing a PhD and working as a Geospatial Analyst at Zambia's National Remote Sensing Centre, where he uses remote sensing and machine learning for agriculture, flood monitoring, environmental management, and other geospatial applications.

His goal is to use GeoAI, climate science, and satellite technology to support sustainable development, climate resilience, and better natural resource management in Zambia and Southern Africa.

💡 The SASSCAL 2.0 Research Programme was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).

Congratulations, Christopher, on your achievements!

Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt Ministry of Technology and Science - Zambia

🌍 WEBINAR INVITATION │ SASSCAL 2.0 ELNAC RESEARCH PROJECT 🌱

SASSCAL, through its Botswana Node Office, in collaboration with the University of Botswana_Official and Kalahari Conservation Society, is hosting a webinar on the SASSCAL 2.0 ELNAC Research Project.

The ELNAC Project focuses on developing successful conservation models that support people and nature in and outside protected areas across Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia. 🌿🤝

📌 Topic:
Enhanced Livelihoods and Natural Resource Management under Accelerated Climate Change (ELNAC): A Large Landscape Social-Ecological Systems Approach

💡 Theme:
Building Climate-Resilient Livelihoods through Integrated Landscape Management & Governance

📅 Date: 29 July 2026
⏰ Time: 09:00 – 12:00 CAT

🔗 Join the Webinar:
Click the link below to join the webinar and hear the latest developments and updates from the ELNAC Project:
1b3c0f0a-2f21-44e5-ae1b-613aaf9c66ab@7aa782da-1011-4a48-ae53-fd072c461921" rel="ugc" target="_blank">https://events.teams.microsoft.com/event/1b3c0f0a-2f21-44e5-ae1b-613aaf9c66ab@7aa782da-1011-4a48-ae53-fd072c461921

🌱 Join us as we explore how integrated landscape management and good governance can help build climate-resilient livelihoods and support sustainable natural resource management.

Bundesministerium für Forschung, Technologie und Raumfahrt Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Botswana

COURTESY VISIT: Minister Indileni Daniel received a courtesy visit from the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) Executive Director Professor Nelago Indongo on Wednesday.

The two leaders discussed collaborative efforts on climate-related research and capacity development to enable science-based solutions for climate change and sustainable land-use with a specific emphasis on nature-based enterprise development in the biomas sector. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Minister Anselm Marungu and SASSCAL Namibia Node Programme Coordinator Kosmas Shilongo.

SASSCAL was established in 2010 by the governments of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia as African partners and Germany as an international partner to address climate change and promote sustainable land management through research, capacity development and scientific services within the region.

📢 SASSCAL REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
SASSCAL invites qualified and experienced service providers to submit proposals for Financial, Compliance and Statutory Audit Services.

📌 RFP Reference: RFP-SASSCAL-2026
📅 Closing Date: 4 September 2026
🌐 Language: English

📩 Enquiries: [email protected]
📤 Submissions: [email protected]

🔗 For full RFP details and submission requirements, please visit:
https://sasscal.org/tenders-eoi/

📣 Qualified and interested service providers are encouraged to submit their proposals before the closing date.