Building climate–security capacity across Africa

Building climate–security capacity across Africa

Across Africa, climate change is intensifying pressure on land, water, and livelihoods. These stresses increasingly intersect with political, social, and economic vulnerabilities, raising the risk of displacement, social tensions, and conflict. Yet for many years, climate governance and security planning have evolved in parallel, with limited integration between the two. This separation has constrained the ability of institutions to anticipate and manage the full spectrum of climate-related risks.

To help close this gap, the CGIAR Climate Security team, under the Climate Action Science Program, has partnered with the African Group of Negotiators Expert Support (AGNES) to strengthen climate–peace–security capacity among African policymakers, practitioners, and researchers. The collaboration focuses on translating research on climate-related security risks into practical tools that can be embedded in climate governance and decision-making processes.

From awareness to applied training

The partnership began in 2022 with the co-development of an introductory climate–peace–security module within AGNES’s Climate Governance, Diplomacy, and Negotiations Leadership Program. Drawing on CGIAR Climate Security research, the module helped participants examine how climate stressors interact with political and social conditions, and how these interactions can shape peace and stability. Breakout exercises allowed participants to apply climate–security risk assessment methods to their own national and sectoral contexts.

Over the following two and a half years, the module was delivered quarterly across seven cohorts. More than 1,000 participants spanning government institutions, civil society, academia, and the private sector completed the training. Participants came from over 30 African countries, with near gender parity. Many reported stronger capacity to identify security risks within adaptation and mitigation projects, incorporate gender-sensitive and socially inclusive approaches, and design interventions that reduce tensions over natural resources.

“The module gave me an opportunity to benefit from other colleagues’ climate stories and experiences, which broadened my perspective on the subject matter,” noted one participant in a 2024 survey.

A new milestone in 2025

This longer-term training trajectory culminated in July 2025 with the launch of an eight-week Climate, Peace, and Security Short Course. Officially launched on 18 July 2025, the course was delivered by the CGIAR Climate Security team in collaboration with AGNES and targeted professionals working at the intersection of climate change, conflict resolution, and security governance.

Out of 289 enrolled participants, 163 successfully completed the course. They represented 17 African countries across all five subregions of the continent. Gender representation remained strong, with 97 men and 66 women completing the program. The curriculum built on earlier learning through eight thematic modules covering topics such as climate mobility, early-warning systems, and scenario planning.

The course was co-facilitated by five members of the CGIAR Climate Security team and delivered in collaboration with partners from the Institute of Development Studies at the National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe) and the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (Zimbabwe).

Reflecting on the collaboration, Shadrack Arum Auma, Research Officer for Capacity Building and Training at AGNES, emphasized the value of the pan-African learning environment:

“Our collaboration to deliver the Climate Peace and Security Advanced Course convened a truly pan-African cohort, drawing participants from all five African sub-regions and across government, civil society, academia, and the private sector. The strong representation of both women and men enriched the learning environment and helped strengthen a diverse community of practitioners working at the nexus of climate, peace and security.”

Strengthening institutional pathways

By embedding climate–security thinking into AGNES’s training architecture, the partnership has created a sustainable pathway for institutional capacity development. Rather than treating climate security as a stand-alone topic, the approach integrates conflict sensitivity and risk assessment into broader climate governance processes.

Participant feedback from the 2025 course indicates deeper understanding of the climate–security–mobility nexus and stronger skills in risk assessment, policy analysis, and conflict-sensitive response. Building on this foundation, AGNES and the CGIAR Climate Security team plan to further tailor future editions of the course, including more regional case studies, practical tools, and legal dimensions.

Looking ahead, the partners also aim to institutionalize the short course through collaborations with African universities, supporting long-term continuity and integration into formal academic curricula. This step is intended to ensure that climate–security analysis becomes a routine component of training for future policymakers and practitioners.

Translating research into action

Together, these efforts illustrate how research-driven partnerships can move institutions from awareness to action. By translating climate–security science into accessible training and decision-support tools, the CGIAR–AGNES collaboration is helping African institutions design climate policies that not only address emissions and adaptation, but also contribute to peacebuilding, conflict prevention, and social stability in an increasingly climate-stressed future. 

This work is carried out with support from the CGIAR Climate Action Science Program (CASP) and the CGIAR Food Frontiers and Security (FFS) Science Program. We would like to thank all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund: https://www.cgiar.org/funders/