Developing a Sustainable Water – Energy – Food Nexus in Africa Through the Socio-Technical Transition: The ONEPlanET Experience

The complexity of the Water – Energy – Food (WEF) Nexus demands a comprehensive framework for its implementation, particularly concerning place-based governance and sustainable transitions. An integrated methodology encompassing literature review, qualitative analysis, conceptual mapping, and co-creation was outlined, and tested cross selected case study basins in Africa within the ONEPlanET Horizon Europe Project. This novel approach was conceptualized through the lens of Socio-Technical Systems Transition Theory and its interconnections with geo-ecological system components, enabling the recognition of the WEF Nexus as a place-based meta-system. The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were introduced as landscape drivers of the WEF Nexus, as they acknowledge the crucial role of society, technology and ecological systems in its interconnected domains. The X-curve framework assisted in the discussion and visual presentation of the status quo and the identified possibilities for transition within the selected hydrological basins, as representative geographies of the whole continent. The methodology resulted suitable for supporting a concrete exploration of pathways for change towards a Sustainable WEF Nexus, facilitated through multi-stakeholder engagement and the development of multi-level action plans.