About PanAfGeo+
“PanAfGeo+” for “Pan-African Support to Geological Sciences and Technology, Africa-EU Partnership” is a project which supports the training of geoscientific staff from African geological surveys through the development of an innovative training programme. This programme includes the acquisition and development of important professional skills that complement existing qualifications and technical skills. The training programme is carried out by world-class geoscientific experts coming from African and European geological surveys.
PanAfGeo+ is funded by the European Commission (DG INTPA). The consortium of PanAfGeo+ consists of EuroGeoSurves (EGS) and Organisation of African Geological Surveys (OAGS) coordinated by the French Geological Survey (BRGM). This programme allows trainees to acquire a state-of-the-art tool kit that contains methods and/or field work from eight geoscientific domains or work packages.
WP7 – Hydrogeology Training Session
Many kinds of groundwater quality issues exist worldwide. Some of them refer to natural phenomena as too high fluoride concentration in groundwater in the East African Rift Valley. Others refer to agricultural, industrial and other kinds of pollution. The natural processes that determine water quality also play an important role as reference situation or as background with respect to the behaviour of pollutants.
The overarching aim of this course is twofold:
- to provide participants with fundamental insight into chemical groundwater quality;
- to familiarize participants with typical groundwater quality problems.
A quantitative approach is followed to achieve the first aim. Different kinds of hydrochemical processes are taught with illustrative environmental examples.
The learning objectives are as follows:
- obtain insight into the water quality aspects of groundwater management;
- obtain quantitative insight into the hydrochemical processes that determine the groundwater quality for combinations of anthropogenic activities and geographical settings;
- obtain insight into the typical environmental geochemical behavior of several types of pollutants.
Download the call for applications here.
The topics for the lecture and tutorial sessions are as follows:
- Welcome and Introduction; participant exchange: groundwater problems encountered in participants’ own contexts; groundwater quality management and groundwater analysis;
- Groundwater hydrology – aquifer, aquitard, porous media, fractured rocks, etc.
- Aqueous complexing; Solubility of minerals – thermodynamics;
- Kinetic principles; Silicate weathering;
- Carbonate chemistry;
- Cation exchange and surface complexation;
- Organic microcontaminants: sorption, partitioning and degradation;
- Groundwater quality monitoring for groundwater management; Groundwater and health: natural (As, F) and anthropogenic pollutants (acid mine drainage, WASH – pathogenic bacteria);
- Redox chemistry;
- Different surface water vs. groundwater: suspended matter, sunlight, time scale;
- Microbial groundwater quality; Pathogenic bacteria, decay, filtration; Water treatment – sand filtration, reverse osmosis, desalination, F removal (IGRAC report);
During the training session, participants will develop the skills required to quantitatively analyze hydrochemical processes controlling groundwater quality. They should be able to assess natural and anthropogenic pollution and interpret groundwater monitoring data. They must also gain practical skills in groundwater sampling, field interpretation, and basic geochemical modeling.
Key learning outcomes of the course:
The overall goal is the participant will be more effective in:
- Understand and quantitatively evaluate the hydrochemical processes controlling groundwater quality;
- Assess natural and anthropogenic groundwater contamination, including geochemical and microbial aspects;
- Apply groundwater sampling and monitoring techniques in field conditions;
- Integrate hydrogeology, petrology and geochemistry for groundwater quality interpretation’;
- Interpret monitoring data and apply basic geochemical and reactive transport concepts for groundwater management.
Who can apply?
The training session is open to all individuals eligible under the “PanAfGeo Trainee Charter.”
Additionally, to fully benefit from the training, candidates must meet the following education and experience requirements:
- Good computer skills
- Some knowledge of online communication, writing, and scientific communication
- Experience presenting results to various types of audiences
- Basic knowledge of hydrogeology and chemistry
The trainee must also submit a brief general proposal (a few sentences) for a scientific communication product they wish to work on that would be useful within their own organization.
Costs Covered
This training is fully funded by the European Commission through the PanAfGeo+ programme. The following will be covered:
- Return international flight (from/to an African country)
- Visa costs (upon presentation of official receipt)
- Accommodation, meals, and training materials
Please note:
- No per diem or daily allowance is provided
- No reimbursement of health insurance is available
- Travel to the departure airport and insurance arrangements should be organised with your employer
Application Instructions
Applicants must submit the following documents in PDF format:
- Completed Application Form
- Signed Letter of Commitment (by employer)
- Letter of Motivation
- A copy of passport (valid for at least six months after the date of entry into Kenya).
All documents must be named using Latin characters and include your surname. Upload the documents separately on the portal.
Apply through the portal only: Register here
Deadline for applications: 31 March 2026
Contact:
For practical questions about the training:
- Flemming Larsen – flar@geus.dk
- Jasper Griffioen – jasper.griffioen@tno.nl
For travel arrangements and visas, please contact
- Antti Pasanen: antti.pasanen@gtk.fi
- Elmira Brooshan: elmira.brooshan@gtk.fi
For general information about PanAfGeo+:
- EuroGeoSurveys: panafgeo@eurogeosurveys.org
- Organisation of African Geological Surveys: info-oags@oagsafrica.org
We look forward to receiving your application.