Climate change effects on critical resources are intensifying across large parts of the African continent. The ONEPlanET project applies the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus concept to advance long-term sustainable solutions to local climate challenges.
The project developed reliable WEF planning models and practical tools to assist policymakers, researchers, industry professionals, and civil society in making informed decisions that drive a sustainable future.
ONEPlanET also addressed key issues like fostering cross-sector collaboration, evidence-based capacity building, knowledge exchanges between the AU and EU, stakeholder empowerment, and the co-creation of effective tools.
Three o’clock played a central role in ONEPlanET's co-creation process and capacity building efforts.
We developed the methodology for a series of co-creation workshops, which took place in Nairobi (Kenya) and the three case studies: the Bani River Basin (Mali), the Songwe River Basin (Tanzania/Malawi), and the Inkomati-Usuthu Water Catchment (South Africa). The workshops gathered local policymakers, researchers, industry professionals and non-profit groups to co-design the WEF Nexus Model, an open-source web tool that maps policies and interactions between water, energy, and food. The one-day workshops invited participants to define features, suggest improvements to the tool, and shape the user interface based on their needs. This approach fostered local ownership, which increases adoption and continued engagement with the project.
Three o’clock was also central to developing the ONEPlanET Academy, a free structured e-learning programme. The Academy was designed based local user research and focuses on urgent local WEF topics and specific training needs, delivered through playbooks, video lectures, technology demonstrations, and webinars.
Besides that, Three o’clock organised several collaborative awareness raising and educational activities, including Climate Sprint workshops in Nairobi (Kenya), Mbombela (South Africa) and Praia (Cape Verde). The Climate Sprints introduced climate science in a playful, engaging way to a wide audience. Moreover, we organised led the Nexus Hackathon in Nairobi where several teams developed solutions to pressing climate challenges in Kenya.
The ONEPlanETKnowledge Hub, developed by Three o’clock, is an interactive platform that offers free access to the project’s main outcomes. It is tailored to theneeds of African stakeholders and emphasises practical application.
The ONEPlanET Knowledge Hub includes:
The interactive design of the Hub offers a fluid user experience and simplifies the engagement with often complex WEF Nexus concepts and their practical applications. Moreover, it supports a pleasant learning experience and intuitive interaction with the project’s outcomes.
This work was developed as part of the projectONEPlanET an HORIZON Innovation Action project. The project focuses onempowering African stakeholders with tools and knowledge to enhance cleanenergy and sustainable resource use
