Windhoek, Namibia, Tuesday 28 October 2025 — Members of the media are invited to the Climate Change and Futures in Africa Conference Series 2025 to be held at Mercure Hotel in Windhoek, Namibia, from 29 October to 31 October 2025.
The conference will be officially opened by The Right Honourable Dr Elijah Ngurare, Prime Minister of the Republic of Namibia, alongside The Deputy Minister of Education, Innovation, Youth, Sports, Arts and Culture, Honourable Dino Ballotti.
Organised by the Human Sciences Research Council of South Africa (HSRC) in collaboration with the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) of Namibia, the conference is convened under the theme “Risk in Time and Space,” highlighting the variability of disaster risks over time and space.
This year’s edition will place special emphasis on Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) an approach that empowers local communities to engage actively in risk assessment, decision-making, and the development of adaptive strategies. By focusing on local knowledge and participation, CBPR offers powerful pathways for addressing the complex challenges posed by climate change and disaster risks.
The Windhoek 2025 Conference will bring together experts in climate change, disaster risk reduction, policymakers, practitioners, and community based participatory research from around the world to share insights, exchange knowledge, and explore innovative solutions. The programme will feature interactive panel discussions, workshops, and breakout sessions designed to encourage dialogue and practical solutions to the complex challenges posed by climate change and disaster risks across disciplines and regions.
The 3rd edition of the Climate Change and Futures in Africa Conference Series is jointly organised by the HSRC in collaboration with the NCRST, the Department of Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI), the National Research Foundation (NRF), the South African Agency for Science and Technology Advancement (SAASTA), Santam South Africa, Department of Cooperative Governance, University of Fort Hare, Walter Sisulu University, Midlands State University, University of the Free State, Future Earth, and the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA), as well as the National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Zimbabwe.
For more information visit the conference webpage: https://climatefuturesafrica.hsrc.ac.za/
Click https://climatefuturesafrica.hsrc.ac.za/programme/ to view the programme.
Details of the event:
Date: 29 October 2025
Time: 9h00–11h30
Venue: Mercure Hotel in Windhoek, Namibia (Corner of Auas, 10005, and Aviation Road, Windhoek, Namibia)
YouTube Link: https://youtube.com/live/6CviIogXXTA?feature=share
Media enquiries and accreditation
South Africa (HSRC)
Adziliwi Nematandani
Cell: +27 82 765 9191
Email: anematandani@hsrc.ac.za
Namibia (NCRST)
Ms Hilya Shikongo
Cell: +264 81 246 1257
Email: hshikongo@ncrst.na
Join the conversation:
#ClimateChange
#DisasterManagement
#RiskManagement
Notes to the editor
About the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC)
The HSRC was established in 1968 as South Africa’s statutory research agency and has grown to become the largest dedicated research institute in the social sciences and humanities on the African continent, doing cutting-edge public research in areas that are crucial to development.
Our mandate is to inform the effective formulation and monitoring of government policy; to evaluate policy implementation; to stimulate public debate through the effective dissemination of research-based data and fact-based research results; to foster research collaboration; and to help build research capacity and infrastructure for the human sciences.
The Council conducts large-scale, policy-relevant, social-scientific research for public sector users, non-governmental organisations and international development agencies. Its research activities and structures are closely aligned with South Africa’s national development priorities.
Join the conversation at:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hsrc
http://www.facebook.com/HumanSciencesResearchCouncil
Click https://repository.hsrc.ac.za/ to search the HSRC Research Output Repository
About the National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST)
The National Commission on Research, Science and Technology (NCRST) is a public enterprise established under the Research, Science and Technology Act, 2004 (Act No. 23 of 2004) and governed by the Public Enterprises Governance Act, 2019 (Act No. 1 of 2019). Our mandate is to promote, coordinate, implement, and develop research, science, technology, and innovation (RSTI) as key drivers of Namibia’s socio-economic transformation.
NCRST is further responsible for determining national research priorities and developing the National Programme on Research, Science, Technology and Innovation, as well as funding research, science, and technology under the National Research, Science and Technology Fund (NRSTF). In addition to science, technology, and innovation programmes, NCRST also registers research institutes and provides a regulatory function for research and biosafety under the Biosafety Act of 2006. NCRST established and oversees thematic councils such as the Biosafety Council, the National Space Science Council, and the National Indigenous Knowledge Systems Council.
Website: https://www.ncrst.na/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-commission-on-research-science-and-technology/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ncrst.na/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ncrst_na/