Henry Roman
Country Representative - South Africa
Henry previously managed the development and implementation of the National Water Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) Roadmap as well as the National Waste RDI Roadmap. He initiated the National Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) for Circular Economy Strategy. Henry managed the transformation of the South African Risk and Vulnerability Atlas (SARVA) from a static book to an online portal. He also managed the implementation of the Imvelisi Enviropreneurship Programme.
Current projects
Latest news for Henry Roman
What a just transition could mean for Southern Africa’s food, land and water systems
Local communities and indigenous knowledge must be at the center of solutions for managing natural resources ...
What turns everyday people into water scientists in the Limpopo River Basin?
60 citizen scientists in Southern Africa told us about making water monitoring accessible, rewarding and sustainable ...
Citizen scientists take the lead in tracking Southern Africa’s transboundary river basin
Local monitoring feeds near-real-time water data into the Limpopo Basin Digital Twin, supporting more informed, basin-wide decisions ...
Equity and inclusion must guide water solutions
At the 2025 CGIAR Gender Conference, IWMI underscored that the future of water security depends on scaling equity as effectively as climate-smart innovation ...
IWMI’s debut at G20 highlights the need to drive data-informed water policy
As a member of the G20 Advisory Committee, IWMI is driving a renewed focus on water security, explains regional representative for Southern Africa Henry Roman ...
A network of citizen scientists to protect freshwater resources in southern Africa
A new IWMI initiative combines innovation with community participation to plug water data gaps ...
AI and satellite imagery better estimate water levels in dams
IWMI and Digital Earth Africa are supporting water managers from Limpopo River Basin by improving access to better data and better water level estimates ...
IWMI introduces cutting-edge AI citizen-science tools to the Limpopo River Basin
Water managers in southern Africa get hands on with the AI-powered Digital Twin ...
Scorecard will help governments meet nationally determined contributions to cut carbon emissions
Henry Roman discusses the importance of measuring a country’s capacity to achieve its carbon emission targets to manage and sustain progress ...
Transboundary collaboration on the Limpopo
Africa’s first prototype digital twin comes home to the Limpopo River Basin ...
The power of community action on World Refugee Day
IWMI Southern Africa Stokvel celebrates the courage and strength of refugees with charitable community action ...
As Zimbabwe struggles with drought, we must be ready for the next one
Henry Roman discusses the potential of anticipatory action to prevent or minimize the impact of a potential disaster before it fully unfolds ...
Latest publications by Henry Roman
Report
Water and Soil Accelerator Inception Report: Sustainable Soil and Water Management from Farm to Landscape in Malawi and Zambia
International Water Management Institute | March 12th, 2026
Brief
Digital twins for river basin water management
International Water Management Institute | February 2nd, 2026
Report
Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Capacity Scorecard: scoping study for East and Southern Africa (ESA)
International Water Management Institute | January 27th, 2025
