NEWAL supports partnerships with West African colleagues by offering support for short term research exchanges of either students or faculty at Swiss partner institutions. These specific exchanges aims to strengthen the scientific exchange, to help develop stronger personal ties between the West African and Swiss NEWAL organizations, and to promote collaborative research or teaching activities.

In September 2021, Dr. Eugene Appiah-Effah and Dr. Charles Gyamfi, faculty from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana came to Switzerland for research exchanges. Dr. Appiah-Effah worked with Christoph Lüthi at SANDEC, Eawag on the topic «Analysis of Faecal Flow in Urban Environments using the Excreta Flow Diagram,» while Dr. Charles Gyamfi worked with Prof. Peter Molnar at the Institute of Environmental Engineering, ETH Zurich on the topic «Drought Monitoring for Improved Climate Resilience and Adaptation Strategies.»

In 2020, Theodora Sophia Taylor, a student from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi, Ghana come to Switzerland to continue her MSc research. Theodora was based at SANDEC, Eawag where she did research on the potential of coconut husk powder for greywater treatment. Read more about Ms Taylor’s research exchange here.