ICAR 2026 – 5th International Conference on African Rivers
ICAR 2026
Programme - ICAR 2026
ICAR

Conference Programme ICAR 2026

5th International Conference on African Rivers - Rabat, Morocco

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Sunday 5 July - Hall of the Faculty of Sciences
10:30 – 18:00
Registration
Registration desk opens and conference materials handed out
Hall of the Faculty of Sciences, Mohammed V University, Rabat
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Monday 6 July: Opening ceremony - Bel Mahi Amphitheatre
From 8:00
Registration
Registration desk open
13:00 – 13:30
Welcome
Welcome coffee
14:00 – 14:30
Opening address
Official opening addresses
14:30 – 15:30
Opening panel
- Presentations by partner institutions
- Keynote speaker 1: Pr Ernest Amoussou - "The UNESCO FRIEND-Water programme and IAHS: major frameworks for advancing African hydrology within the international scientific community."
Regional Coordinator of the UNESCO IHP FRIEND-Water programme & Vice-President of the International Commission on Surface Water of IAHS
15:45 – 16:45
Workshop
Discussion workshop 1: Dr Hanane Benqlilou (Miftah Essaad Foundation)
Traditional water governance knowledge digitalization and valuation to face water scarcity in Africa: Culture, Heritage and Perspectives – Morocco’s Khettara example
17:00
Social
Welcome cocktail
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Tuesday 7 July - Sessions & Workshops
TimePlenarySession 1Session 2Session 3Session 4
8:45 – 9:15Plenary lecture Keynote speaker 2:
Pr Oula Amrouni (Bel Mahi Amphitheatre): From Basin to Coast - the Medjerda Delta as a North African demonstration site for integrated river–coast resilience
9:25 – 10:15Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
10:15 – 10:40Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
10:40 – 11:10☕ Coffee break & poster viewing
11:10 – 12:00Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
12:00 – 12:25Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
12:25 – 14:00🍽️ Lunch break
14:00 – 14:30Plenary lecture Keynote speaker 3:
Pr Yves Tramblay (Bel Mahi Amphitheatre): Flood hazard in Africa - long-term trends and flood-generating mechanisms
14:40 – 15:40Workshop
Discussion workshop 2: Dominique Berod (WMO): From Data to Action - building the value chain to address climate and hydrological challenges
Discussion workshop 3: Fairouz Megdiche Kharrat (IAHS): Co-building knowledge on water
15:45 – 16:15Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
16:15 – 16:40Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
16:40 – 17:00☕ Coffee break & poster viewing
17:00 – 18:00Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
18:00 – 18:30Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
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Wednesday 8 July - Sessions & Workshops
TimePlenarySession 1Session 2Session 3Session 4
8:45 – 9:15Plenary lecture Keynote speaker 4
Pr Christel Prudhomme (Bel Mahi Amphitheatre): Operational hydrology at the global scale - challenges and opportunities
9:25 – 10:15Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
10:15 – 10:40Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
10:40 – 11:10☕ Coffee break & poster viewing
11:10 – 12:00Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
12:00 – 12:25Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
12:25 – 14:00🍽️ Lunch break
14:00 – 14:30Plenary lecture Keynote speaker 5
Pr Victor Kongo (Bel Mahi Amphitheatre): The cry of African rivers – restoring the quality and quantity of hydrological regimes
14:40 – 15:40Workshop
Discussion workshop 4: Asma Benslimane & Ernest Tindo (OPJEB): Challenges, issues and opportunities of the blue economy for Africa and its youth - focus on inland waters
Discussion workshop 5: Youssef Brouzyine (IWMI): From satellites to decisions - strengthening territorial resilience in major African watersheds
Discussion workshop 6: Christophe Brachet (OIEau): Transboundary water management in Africa - issues and challenges
15:45 – 16:15Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
16:15 – 16:40Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
16:40 – 17:00☕ Coffee break & poster viewing
17:00 – 18:00Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
18:00 – 18:30Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
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Gala Dinner

20:00 – 23:00  ·  Al Manzah Palace

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Thursday 9 July - Morning sessions
TimePlenarySession 1Session 2Session 3Session 4
8:45 – 9:15Plenary lecture Keynote speaker 6:
Pr Lahcen Benaabidate (Bel Mahi Amphitheatre)
9:25 – 10:15Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
10:15 – 10:40Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
10:40 – 11:10☕ Coffee break & poster viewing
11:10 – 12:00Parallel Session 1Parallel Session 2Parallel Session 3Parallel Session 4
12:00 – 12:25Q & AQ & AQ & AQ & A
12:25 – 14:00🍽️ Lunch break
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Thursday 9 July - Afternoon & Closing
14:00 – 14:30
Opening of the Science/Society closing session
IAGF Jessica Collay / Fawzi Bedredine (OMVS/RAOB): Science-society dialogue - an asset for shaping the future of African rivers
14:30 – 15:15
Synthesis
Synthesis of discussion groups, posters & alternative exhibition
15:15 – 15:30
Science/Society round table 1
Pr Souad El Hajjaji - University of Rabat, Morocco: Water reuse
15:30 – 15:45
Science/Society round table 2
Pr Sylvain Chave, Predict Services, Castelnau-le-Lez, France: Science-society relations in the flood forecasting and warning chain
15:45 – 16:00
Science/Society round table 3
Ms Linda Lilienfeld, LTAW, New York, USA: How documentaries can foster knowledge of and interest in the water cycle
16:00 – 16:15
Science/Society round table 4
Pr Oula Amrouni, INSTM, Carthage, Tunisia: The close relationship between science and civil society in managing the OMELI Observatory, a demonstration site of the UNESCO Ecohydrology programme
16:15 – 16:30
Science/Society round table 5
Pr Ilias Kacimi, FSR, University of Rabat, Morocco: Using the arts to spark interest in water issues in schools
16:30 – 17:00
Discussions
Round table - Civil society and major rivers
17:00 – 17:20
Break
Coffee break and art exhibition / posters from the Moroccan school "Art and Water" experience
17:20 – 18:00
Closing ceremony
Closing ceremony, perspectives & signing of the Rabat Declaration on the Future of African Rivers and their Resources
Training Program — ICAR 2026
ICAR

Training Program 2026

5th International Conference on African Rivers — Rabat, Morocco

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Specialized training sessions — 10 & 11 July 2026, following the main conference. Eight sessions covering remote sensing, machine learning, LiDAR, hydrological forecasting, geochemistry, radar imagery, deep learning and photogrammetry.

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Friday 10 July — Training Sessions 1–4
1
Session
Remote Sensing
Integrated Remote Sensing and Multivariate Statistical Techniques for Hydrological Process Monitoring
2
Session
Machine Learning
Machine Learning for Hydrological Impacts Mapping
3
Session
LiDAR
Integrating LiDAR Data for Monitoring High-Resolution Elevation Changes
4
Session
Forecasting
Hydrological Forecasting and the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) – Copernicus Emergency Management Service
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Saturday 11 July — Training Sessions 5–8
5
Session
Geochemistry
Geochemical Tracers in Hydrology and Ecohydrology
6
Session
Radar
Use of Radar Imagery for Monitoring of Ungauged Rivers
7
Session
Deep Learning
Deep Learning for Hydrological Time Series Prediction
8
Session
LiDAR & Photogrammetry
LiDAR and Photogrammetry for Terrain Digitization: Instrumentation, Measurement, and Modeling