© IIASA
The Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Member Organization (SSARMO) includes 18 African countries* who are participating in the Science Granting Councils Initiative (SGCI) in Sub-Saharan Africa – a multi-partner, multi-institutional initiative established in 2015 aimed at strengthening institutional capacities of Science Granting Councils in the region.
The regional membership application was made in response to a statement of the 98th IIASA Council meeting in June 2021, which conceptualized a regional membership model aimed at bringing together multiple countries within a region, who are facing similar challenges, but may not have the means or capacity as individual countries to join IIASA as national members.
* Botswana, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
© IIASA
IIASA Connect
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News
17 April 2025
Collaborating to advance sustainability science across Africa
A new special issue of the Elsevier journal, Environmental Development, highlights pioneering research addressing the continent's most pressing environmental and development challenges. The issue is the result of an ongoing collaboration between IIASA and a growing network of African and international research partners, including the IIASA Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Member Organization (SSARMO).
20 March 2025
IIASA and Ethiopia explore research collaboration in innovation and sustainability
On 19 March 2025, IIASA hosted a virtual workshop with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Innovation and Technology and the National Research Foundation of South Africa. The event explored research and innovation opportunities to support Ethiopia’s strategic development goals, focusing on areas such as climate change, food security, and sustainable energy.
05 November 2024
Women's education influences fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa
New research reveals a strong link between higher female education and lower fertility rates in sub-Saharan Africa. Educated women are driving a shift toward smaller families and even influencing less educated peers. This new forecasting model offers policymakers valuable insights into how women's education shapes population trends, aiding sustainable development efforts.
Focus
29 August 2024
Experiencing the science that we write about
IIASA researcher, Linda See, shares her experiences at the coalface of where plastic pollution is collected by volunteers during a beach cleanup event.
08 July 2024
Future food demand in The Gambia: can increased crop productivity and climate adaptation close the supply–demand gap?
The Gambia faces significant food availability issues due to low agricultural productivity. IIASA researchers and colleagues used the FABLE Calculator to explore actions to reduce the food supply-demand gap by 2050. The results, published in Food Security, reveal that current cropland will not meet food demand by 2050.
Publications
Hemerijckx, L.-M., De Vos, K. , Kaunda, J.O., & Van Rompaey, A. (2025). Future scenarios for urban agriculture and food security in sub-Saharan Africa: Modelling the urban land-food system in an agent-based approach. Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 118 e102258. 10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2025.102258. Joseph, J., Tramberend, S. , Kabi, F., Fischer, G., & Kahil, T. (2025). Sustainable intensification of fodder crop production can mitigate feed shortage and seasonality in East Africa. Environmental Development 54 e101158. 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101158. KC, A., Abbasi-Shavazi, M., Eigelaar-Meets, I., Lijadi, A.A., Reiter, C. , Striessnig, E. , & Lutz, W. (2025). Assessing sustainable wellbeing in Africa through “Years of Good Life”. Environmental Development 54 e101140. 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101140. Goujon, A. , Addo, F. , Bauer, M., Lips, K., Lutz, W. , & Schellnhuber, H.J. (2025). The breadth and potential of systems analysis across Africa. Environmental Development e101207. 10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101207. (In Press) Willaarts, B. , Campo, P., Magnuszewski, P., Odume, N., Clifford-Holmes, J., Palmer, T., Murata, C., Barreteau, O., Bonte, N., Guillermit, J., Dione, B., Diouf, S., & Lo, H.M. (2024). SDG pathfinding methodological framework: Participatory Approach to Localise the Sustainable Development Agenda. Belmont Forum Project Report “SDG Pathfinding: Co-creating pathways to sustainable development in Africa”. IIASA , Laxenburg, Austria.