In 2015, the Future Earth Global Secretariat issued a call for the selection of the Future Earth regional office for Africa. After a competitive bidding process, South Africa was one of the two countries in Africa selected to host the Secretariat for the Future Earth Regional Office(s), the other being Rwanda. Following this, a Southern Africa regional consultative workshop was organised and hosted by the National Research Foundation (NRF) in Pretoria, South Africa on 4 and 5 October 2018. The main purpose of the workshop was to consolidate engagement with the Southern African countries regarding the mandate, governance, management and operations of the soon to be established Future Earth Regional Office of Southern Africa (FEROSA). Representation from the region included participants from Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

One of the key decisions from the Future Earth consultative workshop, was to establish a multi-sectoral and trans-disciplinary Interim Steering Committee (ISC) that is regionally representative. The member states represented on the Interim Steering Committee included Angola, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The Interim Steering Committee was constituted as both a scientific and governance committee which had to; consider and advise the NRF and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) with respect to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Future Earth Global Office. Furthermore, the committee was tasked with taking forward the outcomes of the 2018 Future Earth Seedbeds Conference in order to inform a research agenda for the regional office and develop the funding and operational framework that would incorporate regional and global priorities.

As part of realizing the vision of FEROSA, the Interim Steering Committee recommended that a Stakeholder Platform workshop be convened in February 2020. The Stakeholder Platform scheduled for 13 and 14 February 2020, will elect the Steering Committee and adopt the FEROSA Operational Framework. The hard work and dedication of the FEROSA Interim Steering Committee has laid the foundation for a vibrant, inclusive and transformative platform for consultation and synthesis with existing regional transformation and sustainability initiatives.

FEROSA Interim Steering Committee Members

• Stephanie Burton, University of Pretoria (Chair), (South Africa)
• Antonio Alcochete, Ministry of Higher Education Science, Technology and Innovation (Angola)
• Nadia Algera, Academy of Science of South Africa (South Africa)
• Nqobizitha Dube, National University of Science and Technology (Zimbabwe)
• Nomasomi Gasa, International Science Council (South Africa)
• Nondumiso Jwatya, Department of Science and Innovation (South Africa)
• Cecil Masoka, Department of Science and Innovation (South Africa)
• Shingirirai Mutanga, Human Science Research Council (South Africa)
• Daniel Nyanganyura, International Science Council (South Africa)
• Michael Nxumalo, National Research Foundation (ex-officio), (South Africa)
• Jane Olwoch, Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate and Land Management (Namibia)
• Johan Pauw, South African Environmental Observation Network (South Africa)
• Coleen Vogel, University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa)