Transition Spaces
Co - creating Sustainable Futures
The Transition Spaces of EPIC Africa serve as participatory platforms that bring together diverse stakeholders including youth, farmers, academics, indigenous communities, policymakers, and visionaries to tackle the complex interconnections of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus. Grounded in the Transition Management Framework, these spaces foster collaboration and co-creation, offering a structured setting where dialogue evolves into concrete solutions.
In these spaces, visionary ideas meet practical action. Participants collectively map challenges, identify synergies and trade-offs, and design innovative pathways for sustainable resource management. The process is anchored in inclusivity, ensuring that voices from government, civil society, academia, local communities, and youth are equally represented in shaping strategies.
The Transition Spaces of EPIC Africa serve as participatory platforms that bring together diverse stakeholders including youth, farmers, academics, indigenous communities, policymakers, and visionaries to tackle the complex interconnections of the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus. Grounded in the Transition Management Framework, these spaces foster collaboration and co-creation, offering a structured setting where dialogue evolves into concrete solutions.
In these spaces, visionary ideas meet practical action. Participants collectively map challenges, identify synergies and trade-offs, and design innovative pathways for sustainable resource management. The process is anchored in inclusivity, ensuring that voices from government, civil society, academia, local communities, and youth are equally represented in shaping strategies.
At the heart of EPIC Africa, the Transition Space methodology provides a new way to approach systemic challenges. It goes beyond conventional planning by blending technical analysis with participatory foresight, reflective dialogue, and narrative storytelling. Rather than relying only on data and forecasts, these discussions create environments where long-term visions emerge from shared values and local realities. Stakeholders are encouraged to move beyond institutional roles and engage in practices that highlight systems thinking, cultural identity, and inclusive participation.
The goals of Transition Spaces are:
- Build a shared understanding of the dynamics shaping the WEF nexus in the Volta and Tana River Basins, serving as models for other basins in the region.
- Co-develop actionable policies and projects to optimize the use and management of water, energy, and food resources.
- Enrich scenario modeling and strategic planning with real-world stakeholder perspectives.
- Deliver lasting impact through initiatives that balance sustainability, equity, and resilience.
- By convening in the Volta and Tana River Basins, EPIC Africa’s Transition Spaces embody a commitment to systemic change. They are a call to collective action—designed not only to envision sustainable futures but to translate these visions into meaningful steps toward achieving them, creating sustainable futures.
1st Transition Space (Volta River)
the 1st Transition Space meeting of the Tana River basin has provided a vital platform for
participants to engage in collaborative dialogue and action towards the sustainable management of
water-energy-food systems. Through insightful discussions, shared experiences, and diverse
perspectives, we have identified key values, principles, and building blocks for advancing sustainability
in these critical sectors. The results of this first meeting will be further developed into tangible assets
that serve to support the overall ambition of the EPIC Africa project
1st Transition Space (Tana)
The 1st Transition Space meeting of the Tana River basin has provided a vital platform for
participants to engage in collaborative dialogue and action towards the sustainable management of
water-energy-food systems. Through insightful discussions, shared experiences, and diverse
perspectives, we have identified key values, principles, and building blocks for advancing sustainability
in these critical sectors.
2nd Transition Space (Volta River)
The 2nd Transition Space meeting for the Volta River Basin marked a significant step forward in
co-creating inclusive, values-driven pathways for sustainable water-energy-food (WEF) systems.
Over the course of two days, the TS participants engaged in scenario evaluation, participatory
modelling, and collaborative design. The process reaffirmed that diverse stakeholders can align
around long-term visions when these are grounded in shared values and cultural meaning. The
exercise of “voting with your feet” revealed that preferences are not just intellectual but deeply
intuitive, emotional, and context dependent. The three narrative future visions — Community
Place-Based System Innovation, WEF-Based Urbanization, and Water Families — each resonated
differently across value clusters, sparking critical reflection on trade-offs, complementarities, and
blind spots.
2nd Transition Space (Tana River)
The 2nd Transition Space meeting for the Tana River Basin marked a significant step forward in
co-creating inclusive, values-driven pathways for sustainable water-energy-food (WEF) systems.
Over the course of two days, the TS participants engaged in scenario evaluation, participatory
modelling, and collaborative design. The process reaffirmed that diverse stakeholders can align
around long-term visions when these are grounded in shared values and cultural meaning. The
exercise of “voting with your feet” revealed that preferences are not just intellectual but deeply
intuitive, emotional, and context dependent. The three narrative future visions — Community
Place-Based System Innovation, WEF-Based Urbanization, and Water Families — each resonated
differently across value clusters, sparking critical reflection on trade-offs, complementarities, and
blind spots.