Agricultural Water Management in Africa

Tafadzwanashe Mabhaudhi is a Professor of Climate Change, Food Systems & Health at LSHTM, and Director of the Lancet Countdown Africa Centre. He applies a systems‑approach at the intersection of water, energy, food, environmental and health systems, also known as the WEF+ nexus, leading research, teaching and policy-relevant work to strengthen sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. In addition to his role at LSHTM, Tafadzwa is the Lead for the Water-Energy-Food-Environment Nexus for the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) and Director of the Institute of Natural Resources. He is an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria and the University of KwaZulu-Natal.

Aidan Senzanje is a senior research fellow in the School of Engineering at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa. His research interests are in irrigation technology, irrigation and agricultural water management and the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus. He has published over 60 journal articles, authored/co-authored 23 book chapters and co-edited 4 books. He was previously a visiting scientist at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) in Pretoria, South Africa. He has practical experience in undertaking technical consultancies in irrigation engineering, agricultural water management, project evaluation and environmental management systems. He was involved in the planning, development and launching of new academic programmes in Land and Water Management for the SADC region and the BSc Agricultural Engineering degree at the University of Zimbabwe.

Olufunke Cofie is the Africa Director for Research Impact at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI), where she provides strategic direction to enhance IWMI’s development impact through effective research delivery and engagement with partners across Africa and the Middle East. Her role focuses on improving the responsiveness and effectiveness of IWMI’s research capabilities and creating sustainable water management solutions tailored to the needs of the countries. She has led the design and execution of projects aimed at generating water and agricultural solutions for sustainable development across Africa and the Middle East.