Acacia Water, a groundwater and water management company based in The Netherlands, has partnered with TU-K to boost knowledge sharing, joint research and project works in the Eastern Africa region. This will see students from the Department of Physics and Earth and Environment Science benefit from hands-on training opportunities, internships at Acacia Water workshops and sites and wide-range of fieldwork engagements.
Staff and students will also have opportunities to present papers and research findings in conferences and seminars that will be jointly organised by the two parties.
Present during the function were: a representative from Acacia Water, Dr. Victor Langenberg together with the VC, Prof. Benedict Mutua signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the university and was witnessed by DVC, Institutional Advancement and Enterprise Prof. Paul Wambua, Ag. DVC, Academic and Students Affairs, Prof. Francis Gatheri, Ag. Executive Dean FAST Prof. George Amolo, the Department of Physics and Earth and Environment Science Chairperson Dr. Lydia Olaka and Prof. Zakary Kuria, a Professor at the Department.
Acacia Water is a leader in groundwater and water management company having worked with government institutions, United Nations agencies, NGOs, universities and research centres in arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), river basins, lakes, and rural areas. Acacia Water has implemented large and small-scale projects in Europe, Asia, Middle East and in several countries in Africa like Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Angola, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.
Some of the collaboration areas between TU-K and Acacia Water include; joint research, innovation and commercialisation and technology transfer. This will also see the setting-up of innovation hubs and incubation centres within TU-K to support startups and entrepreneurs.
Both parties will also carry-out joint resource mobilisation through writing funding proposals.
Other general collaboration undertaking include; water planning, governance, and economics, water security, water and food security as well as ground water exploration in the East African Great Rift nations in areas like: -
- Groundwater investigations and development
- Lithological Mapping
- Structural Mapping
- Borehole development and documentation
- Geophysical Surveys
- Geochemical Surveys
- Environmental Studies
- Floods and disaster risk mapping
- Laboratory technologies
While signing the MoU, the VC underscored the importance of the cooperation will play in ensuring the country achieves the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). He cited concerns of the recent rise of water levels in various lakes in the Rift Valley including; Lake Nakuru, Baringo and Bogoria. The VC indicated that the project will help understand effects of climate change that impact water cycles and the environmental.
