A proposal for an academy to deliver capacity building in agricultural water management with particular reference to irrigation

The paper proposes a capacity-building programme (CBP) on water for food/agricultural water management in sub-Saharan Africa contained within an academy on the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus. The paper is informed by a study funded by the International Water Management Institute and supported by the Water Research Commission of South Africa. It also reports on a stakeholder consultation workshop on 26 April 2023 in Pretoria, South Africa. It identifies key components of capacity-building design and delivery, including six teaching and learning pathways. These are managed ad hoc self-directed learning; continuing professional development; short-course training; vocational college training; part-time online postgraduate training; and full-time in-person postgraduate training. The accompanying budget analysis is speculative based on the size of the student cohorts per year for each of the six CBP pathways. The total budget of the academy is estimated at approximately US$60 million for a 10-year programme training 2,800 individuals. This works out at an average per-student cost of US$21,600. One question, debated at the stakeholder workshop but unresolved, was the emphasis on irrigation versus the agricultural water management continuum including rainfed agriculture.