A workshop will be convened under the aegis of the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) to gauge the needs and preferences of the African scientific community as to the nature of a regional networking organization that could best meet this regional community's needs in support of global change science. This workshop will: contribute to identification of common needs and common goals for regional research in Africa; encourage the African earth system science community to more effectively communicate among themselves and to better connect their research with that of the global community; and will bring global change research more to the attention of universities and national agencies in African countries.
The workshop will involve a wide range of experts, including scientists from within the region and scientists from other countries who are actively involved in research in the region; representatives of national agencies that manage and/or fund global change research; the African Academy of Sciences and the Third World Academy of Sciences; the four ESSP worldwide global change research programs; and representatives of national agencies that support development. It is expected that: the workshop will be held at an African location that would encourage participation by a wide range of African scientists; products of the workshop will include identification of long-term data sets that need to be developed in the region; and arrangements will be made to assure that results of the workshop are transmitted to all interested parties, including African regional organizations and other international programs and organizations.
