Application Closed- AFAS Master's Programme
The African Climate and Environment Centre – Future African Savannas (AFAS) is now accepting applications for fully funded Master's fellowships!
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Meet our students
Are you curious about our first cohort of PhD and Master students? Click on 'Read more' to learn more about the expertise and topics of interest of our young talents.
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About
AFAS is a consortium between two African and two German universities and strives for interdisciplinary and international exchange beyond academia by working on the science-policy-practice interface.
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Our mission
Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation: linking science, policy and practice
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Nature-based Solutions (NbS)
“Nature-based solutions” (NbS) involve working with and enhancing nature to help address societal challenges, such as climate change adaptation, food security or natural disasters, by working with ecosystems and the services they provide.
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Welcome to AFAS

Nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and biodiversity conservation: linking science, policy and practice 

Latest News
Events

AFAS at the DAAD Global Centres Symposium 2026: “Bridging the Gap: Knowledge, Policy and Practice for Climate-Resilience and Sustainable Development”

From September 29 to October 1, 2026, members of the AFAS including staff, fellows, PhD students, alumni and stakeholders participated in the DAAD Global Centres Symposium in Berlin, Germany.
Organised by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), the symposium brought together members and partners of the DAAD-funded Global Centres to exchange knowledge, strengthen research collaborations, and explore ways of translating academic research into policy and practice.

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Events

AFAS Multi-Day Stakeholder Workshop, in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire

From 24–28 November 2025, AFAS convened a multi-day stakeholder workshop in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, under the theme “Scaling Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) for Resilient Savannas: Integrating Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Research, and Policy.” The workshops brought together a diverse group of participants—students, alumni, researchers, policymakers, private sector actors, NGOs, and indigenous knowledge holders—to strengthen collaboration and chart the future of Nature based Solutions (NbS) across African savannas.

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Events

AFAS Knowledge Exchange, Engagement & Dissemination Week 2025: Strengthening Collaborative Research in Nairobi

The AFAS Knowledge Exchange, Engagement & Dissemination week took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 13–17 October 2025. During this week, the AFAS team from the University of Cologne, the University of Bonn, and Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny convened at the University of Nairobi (UoN). The event provided an exciting platform for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and engagement among partners, fellows, and stakeholders.

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To our workshops & events

AFAS on Bluesky

Meet the students

Cohort 2

Annet Margaret Nabirye
Annet Margaret Nabirye

University of Nairobi, Kenya

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Bruno Emmanuel Diarra

Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire

Cynthia
Cynthia Akinyi Onyolo

University of Nairobi, Kenya

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Cohort 1

Ami Léonie Kanga

Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire

Anita Myriam Emma Kouassi

Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, Côte d’Ivoire

Claire Anulisa Adhiambo

Université de Nairobi, Kenya

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Focus

Nature-based Solutions (NbS)

Science-Policy-Practice Interface (SPPI)

African Savannas

About us

The African Climate and Environment Center – Future African Savannas (AFAS) commenced in 2021 and is one of the DAAD Global Centres for Climate and Environment. AFAS is a consortium between two African and two German universities and strives for interdisciplinary and international exchange beyond academia by working on the science-policy-practice interface. The thematic focus of the center is nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation and biodiversity loss in African savannas.

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Photo copyright: DAAD/Stefan Zeitz

Our mission

The project initiative stems from the urgent need to develop sound and robust evidence-based and science-backed strategies to preserve and protect the fragile environments of the West and East African savannas against the combined threats of extensive and diverse land use and rapid climate change. AFAS aims to train young African scholars in the interdisciplinary field of climate change adaptation and biodiversity and to transfer scientific findings into practice, while at the same time reducing the climate and environmental footprint of education, research and international cooperation. The project specifically focuses on the potential of nature-based solutions and of cooperation on the science-policy-practice interface.

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Global Centres for Climate and Environment as well as for Health and Pandemic Prevention

Image Film by DAAD