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The Growth Engine for Africa— From a Water Perspective
Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Boston
As we peer into the future, there are a number of development challenges that require an exploration of the interconnections among water, energy, and food. Countries still struggling with provision of basic services and that have not yet adapted well to historical climate variability face the additional challenges of growing needs and climate change. Several regions in the world are facing unprecedented challenges in frequent and severe drought, water security, high energy production costs, food security and evolving climate conditions to countries of high and low GDP alike. These changes are not merely limited to the biophysical ecosystems, but also socio-economic systems in complex ways. This has real impact on local and regional economic value added and at a larger scale on the country’s GDP. These different aspects are converging within the Nexus of Water-Energy-Food. The application of these approaches to address the Nexus manifest itself through three sectoral approaches: water resources, energy production and agriculture development.
However, there are many evolving opportunities to address these challenges from global to local levels – ranging from new approaches relating to open data and integrated systems analysis to new technologies and investment paradigms that recognize this nexus.
The objective of this round table is to present the varied multi-sectoral perspectives required to address the challenges of this nexus – with practical case studies related to water resources optimisation, energy efficiency, and analyzing the Water-Energy-Food nexus. The case studies will illustrate the interaction among the different components of the Nexus and how they are intertwined in different contexts.
An improved understanding of this Nexus can be used at different decision making levels, impacting household consumption, agriculture development and industrial processes. Such analyses would help decision makers to better shape policies and develop sustainable plans for water allocation and energy production. A shared understanding of these multi-sectoral inter-linkages is critical to crafting sustainable socio-economic development solutions. Moving forward, the WEF nexus provides an effective approach for government, industry, academia, and civil society to enhance and sustain natural resource and agricultural productivity and resilience.
The round table starts with a keynote opening by Prof. Peter Rogers on understanding the Water-Energy-Food Nexus. Then, the program features experts and policymakers in the field of water, energy and agriculture, sharing practical cases, including: the application of modern data and analytical approaches to integrated watershed management, Harvard Pilot Project on water conservation, desalinization for resource optimisation, and WEF application through the OCP process. Finally, the discussion session and conclusions will pave the way to new projects and to outline the main aspects of a water-energy initiative between Harvard, the OCP Policy Center, and the University Mohamed VI Polytechnique.
Agenda
REGISTRATION |
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10:45 –11:00 |
Arrival of Roundtable participants to the Middle East Department at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government |
WELCOMING REMARKS & KEY NOTE PRESENTATION |
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11:00 -11:05
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Presentation of the Round Table Dr. Hynd Bouhia, Global Nexus |
11:05-11:10 |
Presentation of the Kennedy School of Government Middle East Department Mrs. Hilary Rantisi, Director of the Middle East Initiative, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government |
11:10 -11:20
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Key Note Opening Understanding the concept of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Prof. Peter Rogers, Harvard University – Welcoming Remarks |
CASE STUDIES |
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11:20 -12:45
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Case study of Dessalination, and how it links to the WEF Nexus Dr. Martha Crawford, Harvard Business School
Applied Modeling to watershed’s management Dr. Harshadeep Rao Nagaraja, Lead specialist, World Bank
Harvard Pilot Project of water conservation in Marrakech M. Monty Simus, Harvard Leadership Program M. Yasser Biaz, Global Nexus
Modelisation approach of the Water-Energy-Food Nexus Dr. Amjad Assi, Texas A&M University, OCP Policy Center
Integrating Renewable Energy Dr. Scott Kennedy, MIT & Masdar Institute Cooperative Program |
DISCUSSIONS |
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12 :45 -1:15 |
Moderator : Dr. Hynd Bouhia, Global Nexus |
LUNCH |
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1:45 -2:15
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Conclusions about how to develop a water-Energy-Food initiative Prof. Michael McElroy, Harvard Global Center |
About the Global Nexus
Global Nexus is a structure dedicated to investments, strategy and consulting, in sectors related to sustainable energy, water, agriculture, mobility, green development and climate change. Global Nexus is specialised in the integration of innovation and the financing of startups through its GreeN Innov Invest (GNII) Fund both in Morocco and Africa. Global Nexus collaborates closely with international partners including Morocco’s Sovereign Guarantee Fund, the Environmental Engineering Department of Harvard University, and a number of highly respected Moroccan and international institutions to deliver its goals.
Through its advisory arm, Global Nexus Services support leaders in improving the performance of their organizations in a sustainable and substantial way, in sectors around the water-energy-food Nexus. With a cumulative experience of several decades, and teams based in Casablanca, Rabat, Dubai and Washington, Global Nexus has developed a multidisciplinary network of professionals to undertake its mission and support its clients in achieving their vision and goals.
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Prof. Peter Rogers
Prof Peter Rogers Prof. Rogers is Gordon McKay Professor of Environmental Engineering and Professor of City Planning in the Division of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. He is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Global Water Partnership, recipient of Guggenheim and Twentieth Century Fellowships. His research interests include: the consequences of population on natural resources development ; conflict resolution in international river basins ; improved methods for managing natural resources and the environment, with emphasis on the use of analytic optimizing methods to incorporate both the natural phenomena and the engineering controls ; the impacts of global change on water resources, and the development of indices of environmental quality and sustainable development ; Interaction of land use planning and central management. He has carried out extensive field and model studies on population, water and energy resources, and environmental problems in Costa Rica, Pakistan, India, China, the Philippines, Bangladesh and, to a lesser extent, in 25 other countries. His most recent work has focused on the relationship between Chinese electric power developments and their impact on global warming. His recent books include: America's Water: Federal Roles and Responsibilities, A Twentieth Century Fund Book, MIT Press, 1993. Water in the Arab World: Perspects and Prognoses, Harvard University Press, 1994. Measuring Environmental Quality in Asia, Harvard University Press, 1997. He recieved his B.Engineering (1958) from the University of Liverpool, his M.S. Engineering(1961) from Northwestern University and his Ph.D. Engineering (1966) from Harvard University.
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Hilary Rantisi
Hilary Rantisi is the Director of the Middle East Initiative (MEI) at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government's (HKS) Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She received her Master’s degree in Middle East Studies from the University of Chicago. As Director, Hilary has expanded MEI’s program offerings to best serve a variety of constituents, including Harvard students, faculty, staff and alumni, regional partners and peoples in the Middle East and the general public. Hilary has spearheaded MEI’s growth, enhancing critical learning on and about the Middle East at Harvard through multi-disciplinary Executive Education programs, high-level sector specific workshops, faculty research and support, student mentoring and internship funding, professional development seminars, public education events and more.
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Martha Crawford
Martha J. Crawford joined the faculty of Harvard Business School in 2016, after an accomplished career as Chief Technology Officer and Executive Director, managing global R&D operations for multi-nationals in the energy and chemicals sectors. As CTO, Crawford led large, dispersed teams located in R&D centers on several continents, and thus experienced first-hand the complexities of change management and leadership in an international corporate setting. Crawford holds a PhD in Chemical and Environmental Engineering (Harvard SEAS) and an MBA (College des Ingenieurs, Paris).
Since 2013, Crawford has served as Independent Director for two French multi-national (mid-cap, Euronext-listed) companies. From 2007 to 2014, Crawford also served on the Boards of subsidiaries of companies for whom she was an executive. Through her Board mandates, Crawford has been a member/chair of Committees on Strategy, Compensation and Nominations, and Audit. Crawford was knighted to the French National Order of Merit, in 2012, in recognition of her work in helping the
French state to reform its universities and national labs. She continues to serve as Vice President of a high-level committee (IDEX) reporting directly to the Prime Minister’s office, which is advising the government on university reform. Crawford was a member of the Board to both the French National Energy Labs (CEA) and the French National Scientific Labs (CNRS), in the 2000s. In the 1990s, Crawford worked for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, as Principal Administrator of the Environmental Performance and Information Division.
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Nagaraja Rao Harshadeep
Nagaraja Rao Harshadeep (Harsh) is a Lead Environmental Specialist in the Environment and Natural Resources Global Practice of the World Bank, and is leading efforts to promote sustainable multi-sectoral development approaches in a spatial context. In over 19 years at the Bank, he has led and been part of a range of environmental, water, and other natural resources projects and studies, primarily in Africa, South Asia, Central Asia, and East Asia. This has included work on integrated watershed and basin approaches, climate resilience, international waters (including work on the Aral Sea, Nile, Ganges, Brahmaputra, and other Basins), pollution, water and environment institutions, irrigation systems, biodiversity and environmental assessments. He also leads several activities at the Bank related to the use of innovative analytical tools (e.g. GIS, modeling, decision support systems), modern hydromet services, and mobile Apps (e.g. “Spatial Agent” to promote public domain open data access).
Prior to joining the Bank, he worked with other international organizations, in academia, and in the private sector on issues ranging from wetlands management and environmental indicators to New York City water supply systems and Middle East water conflicts. He has a B. Tech in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Madras, a Masters in Environmental and Resource Engineering from the University of Syracuse, and a Ph.D. in Water Resources and Environmental Systems from Harvard University.
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Scott Kennedy
Scott is the Executive Director of Energy Action Partners, an international social enterprise implementing development projects and educational programs that promote inclusive economic development through access to sustainable energy. Current initiatives include skills and workforce development for the renewable energy sector in Somaliland, as well as the development of new planning tools for community-based renewable energy microgrids. Scott also serves as Assistant Director of Educational Initiatives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he works on institutional collaborations to establish new research universities in countries with limited research infrastructure. In this capacity, Scott was previously an Associate Professor and Dean of Research at the Masdar Institute in Abu Dhabi, where he oversaw development of the Institute’s research portfolio in advanced energy and sustainable technologies. He received a PhD in Engineering Science and SM in Applied Math from Harvard University.