KNAW was the main funder of the NASAC-Climate Change and under this collaboration, impact was sought to increase the profile of science academies through direct interaction with policy and decision makers in Africa as well as with Dutch scientists involved in Climate Change and related issues.

Beside the general involvement of NASAC and KNAW members, the specific partnership was with four science academies that were: the Kenya National Academy of Sciences (KNAS), the African Academy of Sciences (AAS), the Academy of Sciences of Mozambique (ASM) and the Mauritius Academy of Science and Technology (MAST).

Consequently, in 2011, 23-25 February, NASAC in collaboration with KNAW held a conference on Climate Change in Nairobi, Kenya. The conference was organized by an Organizing Committee comprising of Climate Change experts from Ghana, Netherlands, Kenya, Mozambique and Mauritius. It was hosted by AAS and KNAS and it brought together 150 scientists from 33 countries who exchanged ideas and experiences on “The Impact of and Adaptation to Climate Change in relation to Food Security in Africa”.

Under the NASAC-Leopoldina (German National Academy of Sciences) project, NASAC with the endorsement of its members has developed science policy document entitled: Climate Change Adaptation and Resilience in Africa – Recommendations to Policymakers.

This policymakers’ booklet focuses on why climate change adaptation and resilience is crucial for Africa. The input for the booklet was a collaborative effort developed during a workshop in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in October 2013, at which a range of African scientists, thinkers, activists and journalists, as well as international experts, met and brainstormed policy options for climate change adaptation in the African context.