The year 2026 has begun on a busy note for the Southern African Science Services Center for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL), judging by the programme line-up. Stakeholders can therefore look forward to an impactful year, with initiatives aimed at strengthening policy frameworks, enhancing project implementation, and advancing capacity building across the subregion.
The organization is readying itself to hold the Fourth Ordinary Council of Ministers Meeting, implement its newly launched SASSCAL Graduate Studies Programme in Agriculture, Food Security and Sustainable Land Management (SGSP-AFSLM) in Angola, as well as preparing for the second intake of the SGSP-IWRM in Namibia.
The Council of Ministers is the highest Organ of SASSCAL, constituted by line Ministers responsible for SASSCAL in each member state and its funder, Germany. According to the Executive Director, Prof. Nelago Indongo, the Council of Ministers meeting, scheduled for March this year in Gaborone, Botswana, is held every two years to make strategic decisions on climate change for SASSCAL member countries.
SASSCAL launched the Centre of Excellence in Agriculture, Food Security, and Sustainable Land Management, and its second Graduate Studies Programme in Angola in October 2025.
Prof. Indongo noted that following the launch of the Centre of Excellence and the doctoral study programme, several developments have taken place. The organisation now looks forward to the inauguration of the Graduate Studies Programme at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences at the University of José Eduardo dos Santos in Huambo early this year. The SGSP-AFSLM programme will be implemented in partnership with the University of José Eduardo dos Santos, the Agostinho Neto University, and the University of Kassel in Germany.
Meanwhile, the intake of the second cohort for the SASSCAL Graduate Studies Programme in Integrated Water Resources Management (SGSP-IWRM) in Namibia is another highlight for 2026. This comes after the successful implementation of the previous cohort. The International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change (ICWRGC) is SASSCAL’s German supporting partner institution, working together with the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) to deliver the SGSP-IWRM.
In addition to the above, SASSCAL will also implement Green Hydrogen Projects, including the Youth for Green Hydrogen Scholarship Programme, among other initiatives. The Executive Director, Prof. Nelago Indongo, sends her best wishes for 2026.
For more information, please contact SASSCAL communications at communications@sasscal.org
