The ARUA Centre of Excellence in Energy successfully hosted it’s 2022 Capacity Building Workshop from 18^th  – 20^th  July in Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The workshop, which was themed around systems thinking for renewable energy, aimed to equip early career researchers with the tools necessary to ensure a successful post-graduate journey as well as for academic researchers across the ARUA network to engage and collaborate on various case studies.

Students and academics joined the in-person workshop from ARUA member universities across Africa. These included Addis Ababa University, Makerere University, Strathmore University, University of Dar-es-Salaam, University of Nairobi, University of Rwanda as well as University of Cape Town, University of KwaZulu-Natal and Stellenbosch University.

The busy three-day program saw discussion and collaboration on case studies of bioenergy and water-energy-food nexus. Students reflected on their current research and were provided various tools and resources to support their research journey. This workshop served as a platform to introduce participants to system dynamics modelling. Emphasizing systems thinking in modelling to aid researchers in their work. Lastly students and experienced academics alike were able to refine their grant writing skills for the ever increasing expectation of researchers to generate funds.

All in all the workshop served as a great reminder of how a stimulating environment can aid in the collaboration of research across the continent and we look forward to seeing the outcomes of the ideas envisaged during this time.