WaReNam: Collaboration in Action

Partners Visit Namibia for In-Depth Project Engagements

Consortium Meets in Windhoek

In May 2025, a delegation of WaReNam partners from the Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE), Technical University of Darmstadt (TUDa), Emschergenossenschaft-Lippeverband (EGLV) and FUCHS Enprotec visited Namibia to advance progress on the WaReNam project through in-person meetings, field visits, and collaborative sessions with local partners. The trip marked a critical opportunity to deepen partnerships and assess progress across various work packages, ensuring alignment toward the project’s shared goals.

All project partner convened at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Windhoek for the 3^rd WaReNam Consortium Meeting. Besides reviewing the status of ongoing activities within the work packages, partners deepened their understanding of the project’s real-world laboratory, agreed on activities to achieve the project’s objectives and discussed the next steps.

First Meetings of Steering Committee and Round Table

As key elements of the project’s activities on governance, the first meetings of the inter-ministerial Steering Committee and the multi-sectoral Round Table took place in Windhoek. The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR) hosted the Steering Committee meeting, which was attended by core ministries related to the topic of water reuse. Besides the mutual agreement on the relevance of a Water Reuse Strategy for Namibia, participants emphasized the need for policy alignment and institutional support for water reuse in the country. The multi-sectoral Round Table on water reuse, hosted by SASSCAL brought together key actors from industry, agriculture, policy, research, local authorities and civil society organizations to discuss demands and opportunities for water reuse within the different sectors as well as their role within the development of a Water Reuse Strategy. Both meetings were very successful and next meetings and further activities are scheduled.

Building Capacity: Workshop on Spare Part Management at NUST

As part of the activities on capacity development, a WaReNam Workshop on Spare Part Management and Procurement took place at NUST. This session aimed to create mutual understanding of challenges and potential solutions in spare part management procurement between communal, industrial and training institution partners through sharing and learning from each other’s experiences. The participants welcomed the format of an exchange platform on capacity development and agreed on regular meetings in the future.

Field Engagement: Partner Visits Across Namibia

Besides the core events that took place in Windhoek, colleagues from EGLV and ISOE visited the NamWater Human Resource Development Centre (HRDC) in Okahandja and the Namibian Institute for Mining and Technology (NIMT) in Arandis, which are core partners in developing necessary capacities for water reuse in Namibia. The colleagues discussed areas of collaboration on capacity development and next joint steps within the WaReNam project. The team travelled northern Namibia to meet with core communal partners. In Oshakati, the planning of the demonstration plant was finalized and team did a field visit the construction site. Based on year-long collaborations on water reuse, areas of collaboration within WaReNam’s work packages on governance and capacity development were discussed in Outapi. Further, colleagues from TUDa visited Walvis Bay to finalize the planning of the pilot plant.

Promoting Water Reuse Through Dialogue

The WaReNam project was part of the NUST Public Lecture series. On May 14^th, Martin Zimmermann (ISOE) gave a talk on “Enabling Multi-Scale Water Reuse in Namibia” and the relevance of a Water Reuse Strategy in the country. The lecture created awareness and sparked a lively discussion, reflecting strong interest in interdisciplinary solutions for sustainable and innovative water management and water reuse.

To wrap up the trip, the partners from MAFWLR and ISOE charted the way forward by discussing next steps and highlighting the success of the trip. The upcoming WaterNet Conference in Lusaka (29-31 October 2025) presents a valuable opportunity to disseminate the project findings and achievements.