Theme: Bridging Research, Policy and Practice for a Climate-Resilient Africa
Africa is the most vulnerable continent to climate change despite contributing the least to global emissions. Impacts include extreme weather (droughts, floods), food and water insecurity, sea-level rise and biodiversity loss, which threaten to reverse developmental gains. Addressing these challenges requires evidence-based, context-specific solutions developed by a critical mass of highly trained African experts.
Africa’s brightest minds are currently engaged in doctoral research across the continent and the diaspora. However, they often work in silos, isolated from peers and potential mentors, with limited exposure to policymakers and industry leaders. Also, early-career researchers often lack the networks, mentorship, and exposure needed to transition into influential roles in academia, government, or the private sector. In addition, traditional conferences are prohibitively expensive for most African doctoral students. Furthermore, there is currently no dedicated, continental platform for doctoral students working on African climate issues to share their findings and methodologies.
The online "All African Doctoral Students Symposium on Climate Change: Doctoral Research for a Sustainable Future", whose theme in 2026 is “Bridging Research, Policy, and Practice for a Climate-Resilient Africa” is a concrete attempt to address these problems, providing a unique opportunity to overcome geographical barriers, ensuring inclusivity and facilitating continental and intercontinental dialogue at minimal cost. There is a pressing need to build a connected network of the next generation of African climate leaders who can collaborate across borders long after their PhDs are complete.
