2026 Annual Meeting: Rwanda

Save the date for February 4-6, 2026 for the African Great Lakes Stakeholder Network Annual Meeting.

Join this meeting of the best minds in the world working together for healthy African Great Lakes.

Collaboration is paramount. With our six advisory groups and other global experts, we activate collective knowledge, passion, and resources to solve the challenges that threaten the African Great Lakes.

At this meeting we will:

• Learn from each African Great Lakes Advisory Group to advance solutions
• Inform the future of AGL monitoring, education, and training
• Break down gender barriers to tap into strong, inclusive solutions
• Work across borders to inform game-changing freshwater decisions

The African Great Lakes Stakeholder Network is a highly collaborative group of freshwater and large lakes experts from around the world. At the heart of the network is over 140 African Great Lakes experts who are, together, addressing the most critical issues on these seven African Great Lakes which hold over 25% of the world’s freshwater and support millions of people.

Guests, observers, and specialists are welcome to attend and participate.

The African Great Lakes Stakeholders Network, and this meeting, are facilitated by the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education and developed, informed, and advised by the partners and experts working on the African Great Lakes.

Annual Meeting Agenda

Updated: September 17, 2025

Day 1: Tuesday, February 03, 2024

Various times: participants arrive

9:00am – 3:00pm: ACARE Board Meeting (Closed: Board and Secretariat)

5:00pm – 6:00pm: New AWIS 2026 cohort orientation

6:00pm – 8:00pm: African Women in Science (Re)union (Closed: AWIS and invite only)

Members of the 2026 AWIS Cohort and AWIS Alumni to gather, meet, and network

Day 2: Wednesday, February 03, 2026

7:00am – 8:20am: Registration and arrival

8:20am – 10:00am: Meeting welcome with guest speakers

10:00am – 10:30am: Tea break – conference photo

10:35am – 10:45am: Meeting overview

10:45am – 1:00pm: Advisory group presentations

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Lunch and networking

2:00pm – 2:30pm: ACARE announcements

2:30pm – 3:30pm: ACARE’s UN Water Commitments – progress and next steps

3:30pm – 4:00pm: Tea break

4:00pm – 5:00pm: Capacity building panel

5:00pm – 5:15pm: Close of the day

6:00pm – 8:00pm: Dinner, evening program, social and networking

Day 3: Thursday, February 04, 2026

7:30am – 8:30am: Meeting check-in and arrival

8:30am – 8:45am: Update on ACARE UN Water Commitment activity

8:45am – 10:30am: Capacity building parallel sessions (choose one)

• Plastic debris in freshwater
• Monitoring case studies and in situ techniques
• Remote sensing and triangulating the data
• Bridging science to policy through communications
• Education & Outreach for community engagement
• Fundraising for collaborative projects
• Large lake collaborations

10:30am – 11:00am: Tea break

11:00am – 11:30am: Capacity building session report out

11:30am – 1:00pm: Individual advisory group meetings

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Lunch

2:00pm – 3:30pm: Individual advisory group meetings

3:30pm – 4:00pm: Tea break

4:00pm – 5:00pm: Advisory group reports (plenary)

5:15pm: Close of the day

5:15pm – 7:15pm: Poster session and evening social ​

7:15pm: End of day – Dinner not provided by the conference

Day 4: Friday, February 06, 2026

7:30am – 8:30am: Meeting check-in and arrival

8:30am – 9:00am: Cross Lakes Collaboration Panel

9:00am – 10:30am: Individual Advisory Group Meetings

10:30am – 11:00am: Tea break

11:00am – 12:30pm: Reports from the advisory groups: next steps

12:30pm – 1:00pm: Council of advisory groups

1:00pm – 2:00pm: Lunch

2:00pm – 3:30pm: Regional Monitoring Workshop (invite only)

2:00pm – 6:00pm: Excursions to local areas of interest

​6:30pm – 8:30pm: Closing of the meeting dinner and entertainment (all participants warmly invited)

Venue and Hotels

Conference Venue:

TBD
TBD
Rd
JM4
Rwanda

Transportation:

Participants are responsible for their own transportation from the hotel you choose to the conference centre. Many of the hotel options listed below are within walking distance to the conference centre.

Hotels:

Please note: You are responsible for reserving and paying for your own accommodations.

Please note that there are ample hotels and other accommodations in the area. They range in location from in-city to beach-locations.

Travel Tips, Needs, and Information

Visa Acquisition:

Do NOT need a visa:

• Burundi
• Canada
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Germany
• Kenya
• Tanzania
• Uganda
• Sweden
• United Kingdom
• United States of America

Obtain an eVisa:

• DRC
• Canada
• USA
• European Union
• Mozambique

Please confirm whether you need an eVisa, a Visa-on-arrival, or none at all.

For those who need a visa to enter Kenya, go to: http://evisa.go.ke/about-evisa.html

Meeting Contact, Questions, and Inquiries:

Ted Lawrence: ted@agl-acare.org

ACARE Business Office: info@agl-acare.org

Hosts

Partners

Funders

Supporters

Conference Participants

A list of participants of the Annual Meeting of the African Great Lakes Stakeholder Network, Lusaka, Zambia, February 6-8, 2024 will be listed here after the meeting. The purpose is to enhance connectivity between experts. If you wish to contact any of the participants, please first contact Mr. Zeph Migeni, Advisory Groups Program Manager for ACARE. He will facilitate communications.