Nitrogen, N, represents 78% of the air we breathe, under the stable and inert form of N2, and once N2 is converted into reactive forms (Nr), it becomes a key nutrient that strongly influences ecosystem functioning and food production. The quantification of N budgets (N inputs and outputs) between the surface and the atmosphere is a prerequisite to understand the N biogeochemical cycle. In Africa, the increase in demography and the associated increased fertilizer inputs (to supply growing food and energy demands) will lead to increased emissions from amended soils, which will increase atmospheric N deposition and induce feedbacks to the ecosystems and the atmosphere. In Sub Saharan Africa, Low N contents in soils make natural ecosystems very vulnerable to the potential increase of N deposition induced by large scale anthropogenic activity development. Indeed, N in excess may lead to changes in biodiversity. But West African research institutes lack resources and ecosystems have not been as well monitored as in temperate regions. In this context, the overall objective of NitroAfrica is to study –coupling field experiments and different modelling approaches– the relationships and retroactions between atmospheric N deposition, N cycling in the soil-vegetation system, emissions of reactive N forms by the surface to the atmosphere, atmospheric chemistry and regional climate. NitroAfrica will focus on wet N deposition, because in Africa it is expected that N deposition on ecosystems, particularly in wet form, will increase by 50% by 2100. We will test two main hypotheses: (1) an increase in wet N deposition, as already observed in some regions of SSA and predicted in the future for many regions of SSA will significantly affect the ecosystem functioning (including agro-ecosystems), in terms of N processes in the soil (nitrification, denitrification, mineralization), and subsequent N compound emissions; and (2) these changes in emissions of N chemical compounds to the atmosphere will significantly impact regional atmospheric chemistry and regional climate over West Africa, ultimately influencing further N. The project is highly original because there is for now no such study for Africa addressing these feedbacks in a comprehensive way, linking N deposition, ecosystem processes, surface atmosphere N compound exchanges, atmospheric chemistry and climate, allowing to link alterations of local ecosystem processes to modifications of atmospheric chemistry at the regional scale. A French-Senegalese-Ivorian multidisciplinary consortium will bring expertise on atmospheric physical chemistry, microbiology, biogeochemistry and ecology in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum. The project is based on a close interconnection between experimental and modeling tasks, at the local and regional scales. Experiments will take place in 3 representative West African biogeographic zones (savanna and cropland sites located in Sudanian, Guinean and Sahelian zones). Local scale modelling will be performed to capture relevant soil-vegetation N-C processes leading to emissions, and surface atmosphere nitrogen fluxes will be upscaled to study the impacts at the regional climatic scale. The impacts of NitroAfrica will be measurable in terms of academic research, communication to different publics (large public, stakeholders, policy makers), training and education, and capacity building.

French-speaking partnership composed of 5 universities of West Africa (Ivory Coast and Togo), 5 universities in the member states of the EU (France, Romania and Belgium) and networks such as CIRUISEF, AUF, CDUS and CAMES. The PULSE project targets two objectives for the students: support the continuation of studies in Master’s degree at the international level, and encourage professional integration for license graduates. It will involve innovative hands-on teaching supported by shared digital resources and strong links with businesses. This will be carried out through two types of actions:-The implementation of practical exercises (TP) with digital support in the African universities. The selected experiments will illustrate the laws of physics, chemistry and biology, and will use new digital tools for the phases of preparation, revision and edition of reports. In the first year of licenses, these TP of numerical simulations will replace the real TPs, and in the 2nd and 3rd years, they will provide support for the realization of the experiments. Digital tools will help rationalize the time of the students and teachers, and optimize the use of equipment and rooms. The real TPs will be implemented with easy maintenance equipment. The teachers will be trained and will ensure the durability of these practical exercises. -The creation of digital resource platforms that will be modular and mutualisable. In addition to academic disciplinary modules, transversal professionalization modules will be developed in collaboration with local businesses. A template module will include courses, assessment activities and multimedia resources. A digital manual (toolkit) based on the project results will be developed and disseminated on the international scale, to help universities to duplicate the resources and use them on their own curricula.

The Master’s project “Water Resources and Environmental Risks in African Cities”, also known as MAREMA aims to improve the quality of higher education to better address technical and scientific challenges for water resources management and environmental risks in large African cities. MAREMA project is based on existing degrees in the partner universities. They will be gradually rearranged to create a common degree between Benin, Cameroon and Ivory Coast. This new degree is built on the analysis of the labour market needs and aims to reach this specific positioning. Innovative pedagogical and scientific approaches are developed to ensure the quality of the Master’s degree. It especially encompasses new scientific tools, multi-disciplinary approach, problem-solving based learning, research training and development of MOOC. These tools are co-developed by the partner universities’ pedagogical teams with specific trainings taking place before implementing the innovative tools in the degree.MAREMA training program is deeply embedded in its socio-professional environment thanks to the large number of partners already involved in the project. The proposed strategy aims to guarantee the participation of future employers in the elaboration of the training template, its implementation (teachings, participation in field activities) and its evaluation that ensures its embedding. The MAREMA project strengthens the capacities of partner universities to collaborate and to align themselves with higher education European standards. It also guarantees a high level of student employment. The project strengthens the capacities of teaching staffs involved. It reinforces the partners’ ability to design and lead sustainable development (creation of centers of excellence in terms of expertise and research in this field).

Project APIMAMA (Air PollutIon Mitigation Actions for Megacities in Africa: Abidjan, as a real-world laboratory study) Key words: air pollution, exposure, sanitary risks, particulate pollution, vulnerability, emissions, attenuation, adaptation, infrastructures, mobility, ecosystemic approach, sustainable city. ANR partners : Université de Toulouse/Laboratoire d’Aérologie, CNRS/GET, Montpellier University/IDESP, Université de Paris/BFA/RMCX Partners with external source of funding: Abidjan : UFHB/LAPA-MF, UFHB/Sciences Médicales, Institut Pasteur, UFHB/ISAD, Université Nangui Abrogoua, Hôpital de Cocody, MEDD et CSRS ; Bouaké : Institut national de l’hygiène publique. Requested budget: 669,076 k€ Project duration: from 01/01/2022 to 31/12/2025 The main objective of the APIMAMA (Air PollutIon Mitigation Actions for Megacities in Africa: Abidjan, as a real-world laboratory study) project is to contribute to a reduction of health risks associated with air pollution through the implementation of emission mitigation strategies and adaptation of the populations in their daily activities together with public actions on urban space organization. This project is centered on African cities where previous studies have shown that air pollution, already very high, is likely to increase dramatically through the combined effects of population growth and high rates of urbanization in this region of the world. To achieve this goal, the APIMAMA project proposes a methodology and strategy applied to the city of Abidjan, capital of Côte d'Ivoire, which could be extended to other cities in Africa with similar characteristics. Pollution related to particulate matter, which constitutes the predominant health risk, will be studied as a priority in the project. This project combines research and societal issues, environmental and sociological issues, with a multi-faceted and multi-scale approach. Adopting an ecosociosystemic approach, the objectives of the project are: (1) To bring together researchers from various disciplines (physicochemists, doctors, biologists, epidemiologists and sociologists) as well as the main actors of the city (civil society and public authorities) to jointly define how the project will be implemented on the basis of scientific measurements and surveys to the definition and experimentation of mitigation/adaptation measures; (2) To set up an interdisciplinary methodology to test the impact of improved technologies and practices on the reduction of the health risks, with a detailed study on domestic and commercial cooking activities carried out by women. This objective will be based on innovative studies linking the understanding of personal exposure of populations and their health status to vulnerability factors versus individual exposure mitigation strategies and conditions for future development of practices; (3) To map urban-scale emission sources; (4) To evaluate the impact of these emissions and of the various emission scenarios identified by the different actors of the project, by taking into account new infrastructures, technologies and practices (evolution of car fleet and road improvement, residential and commercial activities, waste management ...) on air pollution and health; (5) To identify the tools and constraints for future implementation of strategies to mitigate health risks based on changing equipment, infrastructures, practices, etc. ; (6) For open science accessible to all, to include the use of social networks as a working tool for the groups of women under study, a communication tool for the partners and to organize educational and awareness workshops for the youngest and the occupational groups respectively.

The UP-RISE EU-African Union (AU) project integrates food safety practices associated to mycotoxin contamination into all aspects of food production, distribution, marketing and consumption in the AU and provides tangible tools and strategies to enhance inclusive participation in the improved African Food Safety System (AFSS) at the local, national and regional level. UP-RISE activities are aligned with the current AU Food Safety Strategy for Africa, focusing on 3 regions of the AU with field work in 5 target member states (Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Nigeria, Kenya, and South-Africa). UP-RISE assembles 5 building blocks for knowledge generation and implementation: 1) Roadmaps for a shared quality culture and possible integration of the informal sector in the AFSS; 2) Strengthening the food safety regulatory framework with focus on mycotoxins in both formal and informal sectors; 3) Early warning to prevent mycotoxin contamination and adapt to climate change; 4) Prevention of food losses and improving food safety by providing innovative microbiome-based solutions for mycotoxin reduction and nutritious food and 5) Co-creation, training and mentoring. UP-RISEs co-created solutions will be demonstrated on 5 representative fermented food product value chains based on maize, millet, sorghum or milk and will be implemented in 10 business cases of SMEs in the target AU member states. UP-RISE builds on strong synergies between all excelling consortium members combining social sciences with technological approaches and an outstanding network, which has been complemented with the Accelerator Platform comprising a.o. competent food safety authorities, farmers, consumers and trade organizations. UP-RISE guarantees sustainability through the creation of Training Hubs in each target member state, an AU-EU Microbial Biobank Network, early warning systems, a risk assessment toolkit and a food safety regulatory model.