Exploring Africa’s Disaster Risk Landscape with Dewald van Niekerk

Crisis Lab

In this episode of the Crisis Conflict Emergency Management podcast, host Kyle King interviews Professor Dewald van Niekerk, an expert in disaster risk and governance based in Africa. They explore African disaster risk governance, addressing challenges, stakeholder roles, successes, past lessons, and climate change's impact.

Dewald van Niekerk, a Professor at North-West University, specializes in disaster risk governance, resilience, and transdisciplinary disaster risk reduction. He's an expert with numerous publications and extensive project leadership experience, including founding the Southern Africa Society for Disaster Reduction. His research aims to reduce the impacts of natural hazards and climate change on vulnerable communities.

Show Highlights

[01:49] How Dewald established the African Center for Disaster Studies

[04:42] The challenges of implementing disaster risk reduction strategies amid climate change

[08:43] Why the conventional disaster response framework may no longer be efficient

[14:59] The role of different stakeholders in advancing disaster risk governance in Africa

[22:38] Why climate change is two sides of the same coin

[25:58] Initiatives in empowering local ownership and enhancing urban resilience

[30:20] On disaster risk reduction being “lost in translation” within African national governments

Connect with Dewald van Niekerk

-LinkedIn
-Website