Building capacity for upscaling the WEF nexus and guiding transformational change in Africa

The concept of “nexus planning” continues to gain prominence in both the research and policymaking sectors, especially in the Global South, due to its potential transformative and integrated capabilities in global grand challenges. The complexity of these challenges and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) has highlighted the limitations of traditional linear approaches. The systematic nature embodied in nexus planning is a catalyst for a long-lasting transformation by identifying trade-offs and synergies, which is key to achieving sustainability. Research on the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is steadily increasing in the Global South showing an improvement in understanding of the concept. This has resulted in the development of models that are providing empirical evidence and pathways to operationalize the approach. This chapter highlights the pathways, opportunities, and challenges toward upscaling and building capacity for the WEF nexus in the Global South.