AUC to Lead Climate Training Program for Africa

AUC is partnering with Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation to implement a climate leadership program for Africa, training 100 African professionals from more than 22 countries across the continent in water management and climate-smart agriculture.

"AUC has the academic and research expertise, as well as capacity-building and program-management capabilities, to bring all the elements of the project together."

The program, known as Building Climate Leadership Excellence for African Resilience (BCLEAR), is funded through an AUC grant from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. As the implementing partner, AUC is the entity responsible for overall management of the program in collaboration with the ministry's Nile Water Affairs Sector.

The training will comprise three modules: Water-Energy-Food Nexus, Training of Trainers, and Crop Water Management—with sessions held in Egypt, Uganda and Rwanda. As part of the agreement, AUC will lead the content development and delivery of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus and Training of Trainers modules in each country, while the Crop Water Management module will be adapted and delivered by implementing partners to reflect the local climate and country context. In Cairo, the ministry’s Nile Water Affairs Sector, through the Regional Training Center for Water Resources and Irrigation.

Hossam El Zayat, deputy director and senior manager of projects at AUC’s Center for Applied Research on the Environment and Sustainability, which manages the BCLEAR project, said the University’s role is to manage the implementation of the program and consolidate the program’s academic and research components.

“AUC has the academic and research expertise, as well as capacity-building and program-management capabilities, to bring all the elements of the project together,” said El Zayat. “We are not just training professionals to work in the market. There is an educational element. We are training future trainers. We are preparing educators because AUC is by definition an educational institution.”

Four cohorts are planned, with the first scheduled for December 2026 and the final one for April 2027. Under the program’s monitoring and evaluation plan, each of the 100 participants will commit to training at least 20 additional people after returning home, potentially extending the program’s reach to nearly 2,000 people.

"We are training future trainers."

“In Egypt, we have a set of challenges different from what you find in other countries like Rwanda or Uganda,” said El Zayat. “Most of our agricultural challenges revolve around the optimization of water consumption and management.” Developing urban agriculture solutions in the face of water and food scarcity is the core of the expertise at CARES. AUC will contribute resources to the training from various disciplines, mainly the School of Sciences and Engineering.

AUC’s partnership with the ministry gives the program access to its regional networks and training infrastructure, while allowing local partners in Uganda and Rwanda to tailor part of the curriculum to conditions in their respective countries.

“Africa has not been receiving adequate support to tackle its climate challenges,” said El Zayat. “This program helps address this need by uplifting African professionals and bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills to ultimately enhance livelihoods across the continent, including Egypt."