GAPSYM18: Spotlight on Resources in Africa
The 18th Ghent Africa Platform Symposium (GAPSYM18), held on December 4, 2025, at Ghent University, brought together researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to examine "Resources in Africa" through interdisciplinary lenses. Spanning oral presentations and panels, the event highlighted extractive industries, environmental legacies, transboundary governance, and resilience amid climate and resource pressures. With sessions on rural resources, cross-border management, and land contestations—featuring contributions from UNU-CRIS, UGent, and African institutions—the symposium underscored Africa's pivotal role in global sustainability transitions, from cobalt mining ethics to agroecological pathways.
Nature, Climate and Health cluster of UNU CRIS was represented by Nidhi Nagabhatla in the session focused on "Cross-border resource management and regional cooperation," exemplifying strategic bridging of policy and practice. Her presentation, "Participatory negotiation support framework towards enhancing transboundary water security in the Congo Basin Region" (co-authored with Mahmoud Radwan, University of Waterloo, Canada, and Padmi Ranasinghe, UNU CRIS), offered a replicable model for stakeholder-inclusive tools, addressing water scarcity's health and equity dimensions in Central Africa's shared basins ( Congo basin)—timely amid rising water and climate stress and insecurity in the region. More at :https://cris.unu.edu/enhancing-transboundary-water-security-participator...
In another talk, Nagabhatla delivered "Bridging policy and practice: How far has the Regional Malabo Declaration taken Africa in the fight against hunger?", a reflection on the progress of this regional commitment through data-driven insights. This work also reflects on regional integration, highlighting gaps in food security while advocating for the harmonization of indicators and the establishment of cross-sectoral platforms to enhance agro-food resilience. These presentations positioned the work of the cluster on resource governance, including aspects of vulnerabilities and adaptive opportunities. More at:https://cris.unu.edu/progress-malabo-declaration-regional-agenda-towards...
