Dr Feng Mao participated in the 8th China-Africa Water Forum, held from 22 to 27 July 2024 at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture & Technology, Nairobi, Kenya. The forum was organised by the China Africa Water Association (CAWA) and supported by UNESCO, the Sino-Africa Joint Research Center, the Kenya Regional Centre on Groundwater Resources, and the International Association of Hydrological Sciences.

This year’s forum, themed "Risk Reduction through Sustainable Water Management in Developing Countries," attracted over 100 researchers from nearly 30 universities and organisations across countries such as Kenya, South Africa, China, and the United Kingdom. The forum featured more than 60 presentations exploring cutting-edge water-related topics, including nature-based solutions for urban water management and pollution control, water problems and solutions in cities, and tropical cyclone-induced flooding under climate change.

Dr Mao chaired the keynote session "Water & Environment Dialogue" and delivered an oral presentation on "The Development Kuznets Curve and Household Water Security." Additionally, he introduced the international research community at the forum to the research focuses of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development and the School for Cross-faculty Studies, University of Warwick. Dr Mao highlighted potential collaborative opportunities in addressing global water security challenges in the global south and fostering sustainable solutions for water management in the context of global change.