On 12 to 13 December 2016, the BALEWARE conference (Bridging Africa, Latin America and Europe in Water and Renewable Energies Applications) took place in Arusha, Tanzania, at the Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST). The conference shed light on the common challenges Africa and Latin America share concerning reliable and affordable supply of clean water and sustainable energy. More than 50 participants from academia, industry, governments and non-governmental organisations from Africa, Europe and Latin America contributed with interesting and diverse perspectives.

Highlight of the conference was the Science & Entrepreneurship Slam for scientific, technical and organiaational innovation on water purification and clean water supply, sustainable energy generation and distributions, and combining both areas. The Egyptian participant Ahmed Abbas won the Science & Entrepreneurship Slam for his idea for Mobile Solar Pumping Systems. The slam was sponsored through RECP and the Finnish University Partnership for International Development (UniPID).