"Legends of Nature - Protected Areas of the Southern Caucasus"
From the 6th to the 10th March 2013, AHT coordinated the trade fair presence of Armenian and Georgian protected areas at the ITB Berlin, the biggest tourism trade fair in the world. The initiative was funded by KfW in the framework of its support to the Transboundary Joint Secretariat for Nature Conservation in the Southern Caucasus currently being implemented by AHT and RECC.
As a highlight two new high-quality tourism brochures (see below) were launched under the label “Legends of Nature – Protected Areas of the Southern Caucasus”. The brochures aim to raise awareness of the need to protect the natural wonders of the Caucasus ecoregion and provide portraits of the protected areas of both countries including interesting facts and figures, natural and cultural features, advice for recreation activities and contact information.
(Corinna Säger, May 2013)
International Green Week 2013 in Berlin: Panel Discussion on "New Approaches and Opportunities for Investments in Agriculture"
At the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture at the International Green Week 2013 in Berlin, AHT organised a panel discussion on “New Approaches and Opportunities for Investments in Agriculture”. Private and institutional investors in particular ask for ethically correct and sustainable investments in agriculture, the agricultural processing industry and the production of biogas or biofuels.
As in previous years, AHT has ensured the participation of internationally renowned experts:
Antony Bruggink, Manager Agribusiness Projekte, The Netherlands - Examples of private-sector investment in large-scale agricultural projects in Australia and South America.
Natalia E. Haritonova, Managing Director of the Agrocomplex “Mansurovo”, Russian Federation - Large-scale agricultural investment projects in the Russian Federation – a case study from the “Mansurovo” farm, Russian Federation.
Natalia I. Zudina, Deputy Managing Director, Rosagroleasing Moscow, Russian Federation - Financing instruments in the Russian Federation and the role of Rosagroleasing in supporting investments in agriculture.
Dr. Peter J.P. Zuurbier, Professor in Management Studies, University of Wageningen, The Netherlands, Director International Center of Excellence for the Food Industry in Chile - Latest developments in financing large-scale investments in the food chain and bio-food industry.
Participants in the round-table discussion, moderated by Dr. Hubertus Schneider, Managing Director of AHT GROUP AG, debated opportunities and risks of commercial investments in the agricultural sector on the basis of case studies from different continents.
Madagascar: Collaborateur d'AHT reçoit le grade de chevalier de l’Ordre national
- Le Ministre de l’Agriculture, Vyvato Rakotovao, décerne à Philippe Grandjean (à gauche), collaborateur d'AHT, le grade de chevalier de l’Ordre national.
Après 14 ans de service à Madagascar, le chef de mission du projet rizicole Betsiboka et chef du projet de mise en valeur et protection des bassins versants du lac Alaotra, Philippe Grandjean, a quitté la Grande île le 1er juillet 2011.
Auparavant, il a pris congé du Ministre de l’Agriculture, Vyvato Rakotovao, dont le département a été le principal bénéficiaire des multiples contributions que l’intéressé a apportées durant son séjour malgache. En reconnaissance de ces bons et loyaux services, le gouvernement, à travers le Ministre de l’agriculture, lui a décerné le grade de chevalier de l’Ordre national.
La mission de Philippe Grandjean a essentiellement porté sur les secteurs du développement rural, notamment dans la direction de projets, l’intensification de l’irrigation, l’animation des organisations paysannes, la lutte anti-érosive, l’agriculture et les actions environnementales ainsi que la sécurisation foncière. C’est avec lui que le ministère de l’Agriculture a pu initier l’expérience de la gestion foncière décentralisée qui est une composante du programme national foncier (PNF).
"River Awareness Kits" available online
The two recently developed River Awareness Kits (RAKs) for the Kunene and Limpopo River basins are now available online. AHT and Hatfield Consultants from Canada jointly developed the RAKs under the GIZ Programme "Transboundary Water Management in SADC".
These products, available in English and Portuguese, were designed to support information and knowledge management as well as capacity development and awareness raising for transboundary water issues in southern Africa, particularly in the riparian countries of the Kunene and Limpopo basins. The kits include self-learning resources, supported by interactive visualisation tools and maps. The targeted audience is the broad spectrum of stakeholders within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) including government agencies, river basin managers, NGOs, educational establishments as well as the international community.
The RAKs can be accessed via http://www.kunenerak.org and http://www.limpoporak.org.
Russia: Hotel Graf Orlov in Samara reopened!
The completely renovated Hotel Graf Orlov in Samara has seen its reopening in December 2010! It has become a well-equipped and stylish hotel with 23 rooms, restaurant, lounge, conference room and wellness area, providing many modern facilities.
The building in which the hotel is located dates back to 1910. In 1997 it started business under the name Hansa Hotel. At that time it was one of the first hotels in Samara designed in a western style. For many years Lufthansa used the Hansa Hotel as a home base for its staff. The extensive renovation works took four years.
According to the owners, Liudmilla Orlova and Gerardus van Wissen, the guest shall enjoy his stay in a relaxed and comfortable environment and benefit from a professionally managed service. ”Every guest shall feel welcome and at home in our luxury hotel".
International Green Week 2011 in Berlin: AHT organised a panel discussion on "Russia’s Role in World Food Supply”
As part of the “Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA)” of the International Green Week in January 2011 in Berlin, AHT organised a panel discussion on “Russia's Role in World Food Supply”
This year the GFFA thematically focused on Trade and Global Food Security. AHT GROUP AG contributed to this Forum by holding an expert panel discussion on Russia's Role in World Food Supply (on January 21st) with speakers from the Russian grain industry. The presentations were as follows:
- Dr. Alexander Korbut, Vice-President of the Russian Grain Union, on "Potential, production perspectives and the role in world food supply".
- Ms. Anna Kovalenkova, ZAO Eurotechnika, Samara / National Movement for Conservation Agriculture, on: "Resource conserving cultivation in Russia: roadmap towards increased profitability and conservation of soil fertility".
- Dr. Evgenij Korchevoj, Director of the Rosagromasch Association, on "Perspectives of grain production in Russia".
Dr. Hubertus Schneider, Managing Director of AHT GROUP AG, held an introductory presentation and chaired the event in which experiences, policies and perspectives for sustainable increased grain production in Russia were discussed. The interest and participation were excellent.
- Dr. Alexander Korbut
- Ms. Anna Kovalenkova
- Dr. Evgenij Korchevoj
On January 22nd AHT presented its capacities and services in the fields of agriculture and rural development at the Cooperation Market that was held in parallel to the International Agriculture Ministers' Panel Discussion on "Trade and Global Food Security: Global - Regional - Local".
The meetings and discussions reinforced contacts with clients, partners and experts, giving inspiration and new energy for the challenges of 2011.
(Servi Nabuurs, January 2011)
- AHT's stand at the Cooperation Market (from left to right): Dr. Hubertus Schneider, Raisya Chumakova, Dr. Roland Barning, Servi Nabuurs
- Interested audience and vivid discussion at the forum
Delegation des deutschen Bundestages und deutscher Botschafter besuchen das Erosionsschutzvorhaben der AHT in Madagaskar
Anfang November 2010 besuchte der Ausschuss für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (AWZ) des deutschen Bundestages im Rahmen seiner Reise nach Madagaskar und Lesotho das von AHT durchgeführte Erosionsschutzvorhaben.
Die Delegation unter Leitung von Hartwig Fischer (CDU) und den weiteren Mitgliedern, Karin Roth (SPD), Joachim Günther (FDP), Annette Hübinger (CDU) Niema Movassat (Linke) und Herrn Mester (Sekretär der Delegation) wurde vom deutschen Botschafter Herrn Dieter Stell und seiner Frau begleitet. Während des Besuches in Marovoay im Nordwesten Madagaskars besuchte die Delegation Aufforstungsmaßnahmen und Renaturierungsarbeiten, die mit Bauern und Schülern durchgeführt wurden. Darüber hinaus wurden auch Synergien mit anderen Vorhaben der deutschen Entwicklungszusammenarbeit diskutiert, insbesondere im Zusammenhang mit Schutzmaßnahmen in der Pufferzone des angrenzenden Nationalparks Ankarafantsika.
Angesichts der derzeitigen politischen Krise in Madagaskar und des Einfrierens neuer Finanzierungen der deutschen Entwicklungzusammenarbeit suchte die Delegation auch nach Wegen, wie die deutsche Unterstützung von Programmen an der Basis weitergeführt werden kann.
(Jörg Lieberei, November 2010)
- Feldbesuch des AWZ in Marovoay. Die nationale Koordinatorin des Vorhabens, Mme. Voninavoko (in weiß), präsentiert die Aktivitäten des Erosionsschutzprogramms
German Chancellor visits VPUU project in South Africa
In July the German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel visited the KfW-financed project "Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU)" carried out by AHT in Khayelitsha, Cape Town.
(Udo Lange, July 2010)
- AHT's team leader Michael Krause (left) explains to Dr. Angela Merkel (right), Mrs. Helen Zille, Premier of Western Cape Province (2nd left) and Mr. Dan Plato, Mayor of Cape Town (2nd right) the model of the new Harare Business Hub.
- The delegation in front of the Harare Square Library Centre currently under construction.
Project Director of LGED Dhaka in Germany
- Mr. Servi Nabuurs (left), AHT's Project Manager, and Mr. Syed Mahbubur Rahman, Project Director of the Local Government Engineering Department responsible for the “Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project (RIIP-2)" in Bangladesh
In July, Mr. Syed Mahbubur Rahman, as Project Director of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) responsible for the “Rural Infrastructure Improvement Project (RIIP-2)" in Bangladesh, paid a one-week visit to Germany.
In this project AHT has been entrusted with the Component "Training and Strengthening of Local Governance to Support Sustainable Rural Infrastructure Development".
Mr. Rahman visited among others the Delta Works and Surge Barrier in the Netherlands, the Traffic-Safety Association / Traffic Management of the City of Essen, the Roads Department in the Mettmann District (on rural road maintenance), the Wholesale Fresh Market in Essen, the Food Hygiene and Veterinary Inspection on marketing of fresh produce and hygiene measures, the Federal Research Institute for Roads on road design, road safety and pavement testing.
The visit yielded new insights and interesting and relevant information for the RIIP-2 project.
(Servi Nabuurs, July 2010)
Algerian representatives on study tour to Germany
In June representatives from the Ministry of Water Resources in Algier and related regional and local administrations in Béchar and Béni Abbès travelled to Germany for a technical and organisational exchange.
(Dr. Anja Stache, June 2010)
- The study tour group in front of AHT's headquarters in Essen, Germany
- Algerian women assist sewer inspection in Germany
VPUU project in Cape Town wins an Impumelelo award!
The project “Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading” in Khayelitsha, financed by KfW and the City of Cape Town and carried out by a consortium led by AHT, has been selected for one of the 24 prizes donated by the Innovations Award Trust “Impumelelo”. The purpose of the award is to honour public sector organisations and projects with an innovative and beneficial character.
At the award ceremony on 18 May 2010 the VPUU project received the Silver Award which comes with R 20,000 prize money. Alistair Graham, the VPUU manager, and Michael Krause, AHT’s team leader, received the award on behalf of the whole project team.
(May 2010)
- Alistair Graham (3rd from left), Michael Krause (4th from left), Zamayedwa Sogayise, Chairman of the Khayelitsha Development Forum, (4th from right), Harald Gerding, KfW Office Johannesburg (3rd from right)
New irrigation canal inaugurated in Mali
- Mali's President Amadou Toumani Touré (left), Andreas Boekkers, AHT's Irrigation Engineer (middle), Mahamane Touré, Managing Director of BETICO (right)
The inauguration of the new main irrigation canal in Baguinéda was attended by the Malian President Mr Amadou Toumani Touré.
AHT's activities on behalf of AGETIER comprise water requirement analysis, optimisation of the irrigation network, maintenance support and advice in financial management of the scheme.
Technical expertise is complemented by training measures and the organisation of visits to other irrigation schemes to facilitate exchange of experiences.
(14 June 2010)
AHT project presented at the UN HABITAT World Urban Forum 5 in Rio de Janeiro
"Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading" was a side event of the German Development Cooperation during the UN-HABITAT World Urban Forum 5 Conference from 22 to 26 March 2010 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The event was organised jointly by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and KfW and aimed at an exchange of experiences with local representatives of the "Slum Rehabilitation Programme" through FUNDASAL in El Salvador and the "Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading Programme" currently being implemented by AHT in Khayelitsha, Cape Town in South Africa.
(Udo Lange, April 2010)
- At the German pavilion (from left to right): Mrs Bulelwa Belu Toni, Chairperson of the Khayelitsha Community Trust, Noahaam Hendricks, Director Development Services, City of Cape Town, Mrs Shehaam Sims, City of Cape Town, Alastair Graham, Councillor City of Cape Town and VPUU PMU Manager, and Michael Krause, AHT's Team Leader
- (From left to right): Mrs Bulelwa Belu Toni, Chairperson of the Khayelitsha Community Trust, Alastair Graham, VPUU PMU Manager and Councillor City of Cape Town, Noahmaan Hendricks, Director Development Services, City of Cape Town, Mrs Anja Nina Kramer, KfW Development Bank, Germany
International Green Week 2010 in Berlin: AHT organised a panel discussion on "Adaptation to Climate Change by Irrigation"
As part of the “Global Forum for Food and Agriculture” of the International Green Week in January 2010 in Berlin, AHT organised a panel discussion on “Adaptation to Climate Change by Irrigation”. Several case studies from Macedonia, Tunisia, China and Mali were presented. After that, the participants had the opportunity to exchange opinions and discuss the topic.
AHT also had its own stand at the "Cooperation Market".
- Panel discussion
- AHT stand
Study tour of Algerian experts to Germany
In the context of the project "Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)" in an oasis in the Algerian desert, several staff from AHT's partner institutions visited, among others, several drinking water supply and waste water disposal systems. The crucial experience of the participants was the comprehension that renovation and rehabilitation of older infrastructure facilities (like water reservoirs) could be ideal solutions, rather than constructing new infrastructure. Another lesson learnt was the growing awareness of the importance a proper organisation has on the systems' management. It is expected that the experiences made will positively influence project implementation and progress.
(Dr. Anja Stache, July 2009)
- Water chamber of a modern drinking water well in Alsfeld
- Activated sludge wastewater treatment plant in Alsfeld
- Sample of purified wastewater of a constructed wetland in St. Alban
AHT organises final workshop on EIB re-use study in Alexandria
In the context of the study “Identification and Removal of Bottlenecks for Extended Use of Wastewater for Irrigation or for other Purposes”, financed through the FEMIP Trust Fund and managed by the European Investment Bank (EIB), AHT organised the final two-day workshop in Alexandria, Egypt on the 9th and 10th June 2009.
This workshop resumed the country visits made by AHT's study team and presented and discussed the individual experiences and perspectives of wastewater reuse compiled in the respective country reports for Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria and Tunisia. A “Technical Paper” summarizing best practices in wastewater reuse and approaches for reuse scheme planning was also presented.
Another objective of the workshop was to enhance the cooperation between European and Mediterranean countries and between Mediterranean countries sharing increasing problems of water scarcity. Major challenges in realising wastewater reuse schemes, in particular institutional, financial and water quality aspects, were addressed in separate working groups. Finally workshop participants shared their respective experiences and identified opportunities for mutual cooperation including regional networking.
(Dr. Georg Bauer, June 2009)
http://www.aht-group.com/ww-reuse
Ground-breaking ceremonies in Praia and Calheta, Cape Verde Islands
Construction works for the rehabilitation and extension of the water supply and sanitation network in Praia and Calheta started with a ground-breaking ceremony on 30 May (Praia) and 31 May 2009 (Calheta). Both ceremonies were attended by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, and the Head of the EC Delegation on Cape Verde.
(Hermann Mahler, June 2009)
- The ground-breaking ceremonies were “actively” supported by the Prime Minister, Dr. José Maria Neves (left) and the Head of the EC Delegation in Cape Verde, Josep Coll (right).
Study tour of Tunisian hazardous waste experts to Germany
In the framework of the "Hazardous Waste Management Project" financed by KfW, AHT welcomed in April and May 2009 a group of Tunisian experts in Germany. During their study tour the representives from ANGed, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Industry and CITET visited several waste recycling and processing plants.
(Thomas Wiegand, June 2009)
- Recycling and processing plants for laboratory chemicals in Düsseldorf ...
- ... and for large transformers in Dortmund
International Green Week 2009 in Berlin
Expert Panel “Agriculture of the Future”: Resources-saving, profitable, sustainable
Developments in Argentina, Russia, Canada and Germany
Within the framework of the "Forum International Green Week", AHT and the European Conservation Agriculture Federation (ECAF) organised a round table discussion on “Agriculture of the Future” on 16 January 2009. During the discussion the practices currently used by modern farmers in Argentina, Canada, Russia and Germany were compared.
The aim of these modern practices is to achieve a Resources Saving Agriculture (RSA) which optimises yields and minimises inputs.
An important issue was the discussion about GMO seeds: the restriction of their use by law in Germany and Russia could be a bottleneck for the economic production of grain and oil seeds in these countries.
The round table discussion, which was moderated by Prof. Dr. Karlheinz Köller, Vice-Rector of Hohenheim University, was attended by approximately 200 participants.
(Gerardus van Wissen, January 2009)
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Summary_Expert_Panel_Agriculture_of_the_Future_2009_in_Berlin.doc |
2nd European Conference on Sustainable Water Management and E-learning
- (from left to right) Prof. Dr. István Ijjas (Budapest University of Technology and Economics), Gyula Hollo (Head of WFD Department of Ministry of Environment and Water), Zihni Erençin, AHT’s project manager
The second European conference on “Sustainable Water Management and E-Learning” was held from 25 to 26 September 2008 at the premises of the Hungarian Water Resources Centre (VITUKI) in Budapest. The conference marked the ending of a two-year vocational training project called "Knowledge Bridge", co-financed by the EC Leonardo da Vinci Programme and implemented by AHT together with 12 partners from six European countries.
One of the main project outputs is a comprehensive e-learning course on “Sustainable Water Management” and the “European water Framework Directive” developed for vocational training of experts and managers working in the European water management sector. Zihni Erençin, AHT’s representative and responsible project manager for "Knowledge Bridge", presented the project results and explained how the product will be marketed after the end of the project.
(Zihni Erençin, November 2008)
Training course for Egyptian water managers in Germany
In October 2008 AHT organised a study tour for Egyptian management staff of the Kafr El Sheik Water Company (KWSC) to Leipzig, Germany. KWSC is responsible for the drinking water supply and wastewater disposal in the Kafr El Sheikh Governorate.
The chairman of KWSC and managers of the technical and training departments participated in a training course which was carried out by Sachsen Wasser, the water and wastewater utility of Leipzig. The training referred to topics like management information systems, maintenance strategies and organisational structuring of water and wastewater companies.
The training was completed by a site visit of the Wastewater Treatment Plant Rosental in Leipzig.
(Ulrich Sammet, November 2008)
AHT at 2nd IASTED Africa Conference on Modelling and Simulation (AfricaMS 2008)
The conference was held from 8 to 10 September 2008 at the Gaborone International Convention Center in Botswana, in conjunction with the conferences Water Resource Mangement (WRM), Power and Energy Systems (PES) and Modelling and Simulation (MS).
Thorsten Kisner of AHT presented the research results prepared during the scientific applications session about a special class of graph generation functions. The topic was about random generators, and the working group proposed a methodology for choosing reasonable parameters to achieve topologies that include the desired properties under special constraints.
(Thorsten Kisner, September 2008)
German-Indonesian Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project in NTT
A high ranking delegation, led by the Director General of Communicable Diseases and Environmental Sanitation of the Ministry of Health, Dr. I Nyoman Kandoen, visited various water user groups and their water supply systems on Sumba Island, Indonesia, between 27 and 30 July 2008. The delegation was accompanied by the Project Manager of KfW, Björn Thies, and other key stakeholders.
- Meeting on Sumba Island: Björn Thies (left), KfW Project Manager, and Dr. I Nyoman Kandoen (right), Director General of Communicable Diseases and Environmental Sanitation of the Ministry of Health
The visitors celebrated the successful completion of the water supply system for approximately 5,322 water users in the Watulonda region and handed over the responsibility for future management of the system to the water user board on site who has accumulated a start up capital of Euro 5,500 from their members.
(Jörg Lieberei, August 2008)
German Ambassador visits project in Algeria
On 1st June 2008 the German Ambassador, Dr. Johannes Westerhoff, visited the Béni Abbès Oasis in Algeria, where AHT carries out Component 3 "Integrated Water Resources Management" of the GTZ water sector programme.
- (from left to right) Mark Spiekermann (Assistant GTZ), Sebastian Norrmann (Water Supply Expert AHT), Dr. Anja Stache (Team Leader AHT), Dr. Gabriele Kessel (Director Water Programme GTZ), Dr. Johannes Westerhoff (Ambassador), Dr. Marion Westerhoff (Ambassador's wife)
Training of Malian engineers at AHT's headquarters
In May 2008 a group of irrigation engineers from Mali, among them one staff member of the Office du Niger, benefited from a training workshop on hydraulic modelling at AHT’s headquarters in Essen.
The training was organised and carried out by Michael Kirchesch (left) and Dr. Matthias Zilkens (right) from AHT.
During the one week course topics included hydraulic calculations with HEC-RAS, topography, creation of triangulated irregular networks (TIN), data processing and presentation with GIS, and hardware requirements.
AHT becomes a member of the GTZ working group "Governance"
AHT has become a member of the working group "Governance" established in April 2008.
The group consists of 10 German consulting firms and the Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH. The members of the group will meet regularly to discuss development related issues in the fields of governance i.e. policy and public administration reform, democracy, crisis and conflict prevention etc.
The contact person at AHT for governance issues is Udo Lange, lange(at)aht-group.com, phone: +49 (0) 201 2016-214.
CLTS - A promising approach to sanitation development!
- Simple family latrine built after CLTS intervention
Community Led Total Sanitation (CLTS) was first pioneered in Bangladesh in 1999 and has been widely adopted within South and Southeast Asia. The Government of Indonesia - through the Ministry of Health - has declared CLTS a prospective approach to accelerate sanitation development and contribute to achieving the Millenium Development Goals. The “Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project in NTT” (ProAir), funded by KfW and GTZ and implemented by AHT GROUP AG, is a pilot project working towards improved sanitation in Indonesia together with other initiatives in particular the WSLIC project (World Bank funded), CWSH project (ADB funded), PAMSIMAS project (World Bank funded) with the CLTS approach.
CLTS is characterised by participatory facilitation, community analysis and action. Contrary to other project approaches CLTS is a no subsidy approach that relies on the capacity of the target groups to plan and build their own (simple) sanitation facilities. The target is to eliminate open defecation thus disrupt the main contamination routes. Peer pressure within communities often leads to quick mobilization to construct latrines for all households. CLTS is a highly effective entry point for other livelihoods activities as it mobilises community members towards collective action and empowers them to take further action in the future. Sanitation improvements have immediate health benefits which quickly demonstrate the success of collective action in improving personal and community wide wellbeing.
(Jörg Lieberei, October 2007)