WASCAL – Page 47

WASCAL PARTICIPATES IN THE 7TH CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE …

Senior Scientist in climate modeling and climate change of WASCAL, Dr. Mouhamadou Bamba Sylla has represented WASCAL at the just ended 7th Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDVII), which took place in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi.

As a member of the panel discussion on “Climate Information Services in support to the NDCs”, Dr. Sylla advocated for a stronger continental political leadership for the generation of knowledge about the climate change impacts of 1.5oC and 2oC global warming on development sectors of Africa; the strengthening of the National Meteorological Services for a free and open access data culture as well as the development of robust climate information at different timescales for supporting the NDCs implementation.

CCDVII was under the theme “Supporting the Implementation of the Paris Agreement in Africa: From Policies to Action”. The three-day conference brought together stakeholders from governmental, scientific and academic divides such as the universities, regional climate centres and research centers; civil societies, development partners and private sectors, to examine Africa’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and to define actionable climate interventions.

The Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa was organized by the United Nations Economic Commission (UNECA) for Africa in partnership with the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA).

Watch excerpt interviews of CCDVII and media interview of Dr. Sylla

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ZxxQC-4HA

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WASCAL SUPPORTS THE SCIENTIFIC PILLAR OF THE ALLIANCE SAHEL

The Executive Director of WASCAL, Dr. Moumini Savadago has co-signed the declaration of Ouagadougou to build the foundation of the scientific pillar of the Alliance Sahel.

The groundbreaking event was held together with 11 other scientific organizations active in the Sahel region. The declaration contained eight Research Priority Areas proposed as follows:

The declaration seeks to support territorial development through foresight analyzes, strengthening local participatory approaches, developing action frameworks in favor of inclusive innovation while building ecological intensification of all sectors through agro-ecological management of crop systems, agriculture-livestock integration, reduction of post-harvest losses, development of food processing and markets.

The declaration will also help develop irrigated crops and the management of natural resources and irrigation schemes; co-manage pastoralism and animal health in terms of animal production, phytopathology and animal health protection as part of a ‘One Health approach.’

The signatories further agreed to ensure climate change adaptation through the development of new and resilient plant varieties and cropping systems, a review of agricultural practices and improved carbon sequestration for soil fertility; build environment and natural resources management to promote biomass and renewable energies and biodiversity; launch a sustainable and healthy food systems to ensure food and nutrition security of populations; build capacities of actors, consolidate research institutions, support innovation and agricultural and rural development training.

The organizations that signed the declarations in the presence of ECOWAS representative are the Center for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development (CIRAD), National Center for Agronomic Research and Agricultural Development (CNRADA)and Mauritania; National Council for Agronomic Research and Agricultural Development (CNRA).

The rest are Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA) and National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST) from Burkina Faso; West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development (CORAF); and National Institute for Agricultural Research of Niger (INRAN) and Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) from Niger; Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (ISRA), Chad Institute for Agricultural Research for Development (ITRA) and Institute of Rural Economy (IER), Mali.

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WASCAL LOSES FORMER BOARD CHAIR

The Board and management of WASCAL regrets to announce the passing away of its former board chair, Professor Modibo Haidara. The sad incident occurred on Sunday 26th August, 2018 , in Frankfurt, Germany.

Until his demise, Prof Haidara was a member of the governing board after serving as the first board chair of WASCAL. He was the chairman of the WASCAL Fundraising Steering Committee of the Board.

He selflessly served on the board from the inception of WASCAL with valuable contributions. As a pioneer chairman, he played very active and critical roles in the formative years of the institution.

WASCAL has lost an irreplaceable member and he will be sorely missed. The hearts of the entire WASCAL fraternity are with his family in these difficult times. May his gentle soul rest in peace.

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230,000 EUROS SET ASIDE FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN GHANA

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in partnership with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) is funding a feasibility study on renewable energies development, for a Pilot Project implementation in Ghana.

Dr Christoph Rövekamp, the Head of Division 722 Basic Energy Research at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), announced this at the opening section of a regional stakeholders’ consultation workshop held in Accra-Ghana on Thursday, July 26th, 2018. He said funding from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), would support a joint scientific team of experts from research institutions in Ghana and Germany to seek inputs from, and to collaborate with industry and civil society in the energy sector, including the Energy Commission, Electricity Company of Ghana, GRIDCo, the Kumasi Institute of Technology Energy and Environment (KITE), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Centre for Climate Change and Gender Studies of the University of Energy and Natural Resources at Sunyani, the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at KNUST, the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research, University of Ghana Legon, and a research institution based in Germany. Dr Rovekamp explained that the broad objective of the feasibility study was to conduct a detailed technical and financial assessment of renewable energies, focusing on technologies and their applications in all sectors of the country, and to produce a comprehensive report. He said it was envisaged that a period of six months (July to December 2018), was required to undertake all the three phases of the assessment, including the two workshops and production of the feasibility study report.

Mr Fredrick Appiah, the Chief Programmes Officer at the Energy Commission, said the country was currently considering other cheaper energy sources as hydro power had become unsustainable due to the impact of climate change on the environment. Hence the various interventions including the Renewable Energy Act 832, has paved the way for private sector participation, while the Fund set for this purpose was yet to be operationalized.

Dr Savadogo, the Executive Director of WASCAL, expressed appreciation to the donors for getting the project on course.

Mr. Hans-Helge Sander, the Deputy Head of Missions of the Federal Republic of Germany to Ghana, underscored the importance of renewable energy mix into the country’s electricity grid to ensure sustainable power supply for national development. He however said there was no need to reinvent the wheel which could result in duplications, but urged the experts to build on existing programmes, sourcing for available data and information from institutions that were already working on similar projects, in order to identify the gaps that needed to be addressed. He urged the researchers to also explore new areas such as technology transfer, as well as the limitations of Ghana’s Local Content Law on renewable energy, and its effect on industry. Mr Sander expressed his appreciation to the Energy Commission for Championing the Project, and the CSIR and other stakeholder institutions for their partnership.

The Ministry of Environment Science Technology and Innovation (MESTI) would however, provide the overall coordination and management of the project activities, ensuring that all deliverables were provided timely and according to design.

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230,000 Euros Set Aside For Renewable Energy Development In Ghana

The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) in partnership with the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) is funding a feasibility Continue Reading

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DEEPENING AFRICAN-GERMAN PARTNERSHIP TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

The Head of Division “Global Change” at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), Prof. Rene Haak has stated that one of the key aims of the international cooperation between Germany and Africa is to strengthen the science base in Africa by supporting local capacities and developing and combining their respective scientific joint efforts.

In his speech he said, “with the support of my Ministry, WASCAL enhanced the visibility of science from Africa into the international scientific networks and into long-lasting cooperation between African and German universities and research institutes.” He was speaking at the opening session of the inaugural edition of the WASCAL Science Symposium in Accra. Prof. Haak acknowledged that WASCAL had provided a great supporting role by setting up and coordinating new integrated regional research activities in the area of sustainable land use, water resource management, Biodiversity, renewable Energy, agriculture, human security, climate systems and economics with the latest focus on data management and Marine research.

Prof. Haak urged WASCAL to intensify in their cooperation efforts with national, regional and international partners. “As we move on he said, WASCAL needs to become stronger in interacting with policy makers and other regional and national authorities by providing scientifically-sound and realistic options for making land management resilient to climate change.”

He further emphasized BMBF’s immense contribution towards the success of WASCAL and its sister organization, SASSCAL. “As BMBF, we try to support our partners from Africa in building up scientific structures and educational and research capacities in a variety of ways. The two Climate Competence Centres – WASCAL and SASSCAL – are cornerstones of our collaboration in the areas of academic education, research cooperation and research infrastructure.”

“WASCAL, for example, has made considerable progress in increasing the density of measuring networks through cross-border planning and installing automatic weather stations in the region. The data obtained is made directly available for service development through the WASCAL Data Initiative WADI at the Competence Centre. It is also used in WASCAL partner countries where we implement the regional research programme. In this way, the countries are establishing a joint regional basis; for example, for cross-border early warning systems in the event of floods or for the coordinated observation of changes in land use.” He stated.

He also entreated partner countries to show commitment by giving to WASCAL and SASSCAL, a long-term perspective through their involvement in regional cooperation structures; linking them up with national research institutions and programs and, by providing own funding for their operations. We have established WASCAL and SASSCAL with this aim in mind, and I can assure you that, in this spirit, we will continue to be a reliable partner for West Africa and beyond this, for the entire African continent.

He finally exalted that the Symposium will offer interesting presentations and ideas and that will give exciting insights into the fruits of German-African research cooperation. The WASCAL Science Symposium is the maiden event of WASCAL that seeks to showcase the achievements of the organization and interact with global scientists in the fight against climate change in West Africa.

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CHEIKH ANTA DIOP UNIVERSITY OF DAKAR CONFERS HONORIS CAUSA AWARD ON DR. WILFRIED KRAUS

The Faculty of Economics and Management and the Law Faculty of the Cheikh Anta DIOP University of Dakar, (UCAD) Senegal have conferred the honoris causa award on Dr. Wilfried Kraus of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, Germany (BMBF)

The meritorious award was in recognition of the contribution of BMBF in the fight against climate change in West Africa under the leadership of Dr. Wilfried Kraus, which has been evident in the establishment of 10 Graduate Schools within West Africa that build the capacity of post-graduate students in helping combat climate change.

Since its inception, Dr. Kraus has played a quality leadership role towards the achievement of this vision. In Senegal, the presence of WASCAL is very strong, with the establishment of Centre for Climate Change and Economics at the Cheikh Anta DIOP University of Dakar. The centre’s mandate is to train Doctoral Students in the area of climate change and economics with the focus on applying economic rationality to analyze adaptation and mitigation strategies related to climate change.

This is the second doctoral award to be received by Dr. Kraus this year. In February, the University of Lome’, Togo, also presented a similar award to recognize him for his quality service. Congratulations Dr. Wilfried Kraus.

WASCAL ALUMNI HOMECOMING – Call For Application

2018-05-30 – 16:29h to 2018-07-01 – 16:29h

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The 2018 WASCAL Alumni Home-Coming is slated for August 15-16, 2018.

Fifty(50) alumni are expected to participate in the two days conference in Accra to reflect on “Climate Change Adaptation in West Africa: The Footprint of WASCAL”.

selected current students within the WASCAL programme are also expected to participate in the event.

Among the activities expected to take place include”Paper presentations on Climate Change thematic areas and Entrepreneurship as well as soft skills development on proposal writing and cross country thematic workshops.”

Further details will be communicated soon.

Interested persons should send their letter of expression of interest and current curriculum vitae by email on or before July 1, 2018 to:

Director of Capacity Building,

West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use,

Accra Office,

CSIR Office Complex, 6 Agostino Neto Road,

Airport Residential Area,

Accra, Ghana.

Email: capacitybp@wascal.org; adelegan.j@wascal.org,

Copy: weto.s@wascal.org; odame.g@wascal.org

OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF WASCAL ALUMNI INTERNSHIP PROGRAM 2018/2019

2018-05-30 – 12:35h to 2018-07-01 – 12:35h

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West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) is a large-scale research-focused Climate Service Center designed to help tackle severe challenges posed by climate change and thereby enhance the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increased variability. It does so by strengthening the research infrastructure and capacity in West Africa related to climate change and by pooling the expertise of ten West African countries and Germany. The WASCAL Capacity Building Program through the Graduate studies program handle helps educate the next generation of scientists attain an intimate knowledge of different climate related issues in order to help the region develop suitable management strategies.

Moreover, 258 students have been admitted into the 10 WASCAL graduate schools. WASCAL graduate schools have conferred in total 196 postgraduate degrees. An alumni email group and facebook page for friends of WASCAL already exist.

WASCAL’s alumni are engaged in research institutions and academia, climate service organizations and non-governmental organizations. More than half of the alumni are in research organizations and academia with long term positive externalities and multiplier effects in producing more climate scientists.

WASCAL offers an internship program for alumni in relevant government ministries. For 10 of the doctoral awardees, WASCAL can provide support for 3 months internship with the relevant ministries and government departments. This will help to integrate the earlier career scientists into understanding the peculiar climate change challenges confronting the countries and enable them to provide solution to their countries.

Alumni interns will spend 2-3 months with the relevant ministries and government departments in their countries. During this time they support the relevant government ministries or department in their field of expertise especially putting into practice their research findings on climate change adaptation in the climate change thematic areas in their countries. At the end of the internship, alumni interns are expected to provide a field report of the internship, while their supervisors in the relevant government ministries will provide a letter detailing the accomplishments of the interns while working with the government ministries or departments for the 2-3 months internship.

Selection Criteria

Applicants should meet the following requirements:

i) Hold a PhD degree from any of the WASCAL Doctoral research program (DRP)

ii) Have one publications in a refereed journal.

Applicants whose research findings overlaps with the national development plan of the host country and government ministry or department and relates to any aspect of Climate Change adaptation and mitigation issues in West Africa are preferable

Application Procedure

Applications should include the following:

i) A letter stating what the alumni wishes to do while in the relevant government ministries or department and how the relevant ministries will benefit from the internship;

ii) An invitation letter from the relevant government ministries or department offering to host the alumni for 2 -3 months.

iii) The curriculum vitae of the alumni and .

iv) A copy of the publication of the alumnus and how it relates to the relevant the relevant government ministries or department.

Financial Assistance

Alumni will be provided with a desk and computer by the relevant government ministries or department. A modest stipend of 500 euro per month will be provided by WASCAL to cover the cost of living during the internship.

Closing Date for Applications: 1st July 2018.

Selected applicants will be informed by email of the final decision within four weeks of the closing deadline. The selected applicants must confirm their decision to take up WASCAL’s offer two weeks after being contacted.

All applications should be sent by email addressed to:

Director of Capacity Building,

West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use,

Accra Office,

CSIR Office Complex, 6 Agostino Neto Road,

Airport Residential Area,

Accra, Ghana.

Email: capacitybp@wascal.org; adelegan.j@wascal.org,

Copy: weto.s@wascal.org; odame.g@wascal.org

SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM – Call for participation

2018-05-14 – 22:00h to 2018-05-26 – 17:20h

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1. The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) is an inter- governmental organization dealing with training, capacity building and research to devise tools and services that will help reduce risks from natural disasters (e.g. droughts, floods) and strengthen the resilience of socio-ecological landscapes across West Africa. To fulfil its mission, WASCAL has (i) established a strong network of Graduate School Programs (GSP) in 10 ECOWAS member states (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Togo) in collaboration with their public universities; (ii) rolled out a first-class research program from 2013 to 2017 which established field laboratories, on-site ecological and agronomic field experiments and hydro-meteorological stations for standard climate measurements in the Sudanian savanna belt (Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana).

The outputs of these initiatives were expected to provide insights into social and environmental drivers of climate change and climate variability (CC&CV) along with pathways to strengthening the adaptive capacity of smallholder farmers and improve their livelihoods. Recently, WASCAL has re-focused its research program to make it more development- and impact-oriented by addressing the main challenges faced by policy-makers, stakeholders, smallholders (end-users) in connection with CC&CV and generate quick wins in terms of climate and environmental services provision within the next few years.

In order to transition towards the new strategic plan, a scientific gathering seems necessary to take stock of the achievements and interact with key stakeholders prior to deploying the new program. Therefore, the WASCAL Science Symposium (WASS) aims to showcase WASCAL achievements and launch the new research program termed as WASCAL Research Action Plan 2018-2021.

2. Expected outputs
The expected outputs of the symposium include the following:
• A catalogue of the major achievements of WASCAL and their contribution to delivering climate and environmental services (CES)
• A report on the state-of-the art of CES implemented in West Africa to combat the devastating impacts of CC&CV
• Official launch of WASCAL Research and Action Plan (WRAP) 2.0 call for proposals
• Reinforcement of WASCAL ties with policy makers, ECOWAS, Africa Union and other key stakeholders active in Climate Service domain.

3.Target audience
• West African doctoral and postdoctoral researchers with less than 10 years’ experience
• Scientists and stakeholders working in any area of climate change and climate service provision
•Policy makers
• Donors
• Civil society.

4. Call for abstracts
Potential participants are encouraged to submit abstracts for consideration. They will have the opportunity to present results of their research activities in an oral or poster session. Twenty-five (25) participants will be chosen for oral presentations (20 min + discussion) while the others will participate in the poster session.

• Deadline: Abstracts may be submitted until May 26, 2018 and must include (in English):
– a letter of motivation (max. 300 words, Microsoft word format)
– abstract of presentation (max 500 words, Microsoft word format), including preference for oral or poster session
• Applicants will be informed about the acceptance or rejection of their abstract by May 31st.
Complete applications may be submitted to the following addresses: forkuor.g@wascal.org;

neya.o@wascal.org.

5. Symposium programme in a nutshell
Tuesday, 19/06 Wednesday, 20/06 Thursday, 21/06
High Profille Forum Oral and poster session Plenary session on climate services
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Opening Session Opening ceremony Recap of day 2
Plenary session 1 Parallel session 1 Plenary session 1
Plenary session 2 Parallel session 2 Plenary session 2
Plenary session 3 Parallel session 3 Plenary session 3
Plenary session 4 Parallel session 4 Plenary session 4
Plenary session 5 Poster session Plenary session 5

6. Symposium details
High Profile Forum: “Achieving sustainable development under a changing and variable climate in West Africa”

• Climate Change and its potential impact on key developement sectors of West Africa
• Climate Change as a threat to the development of West African States
• Climate Change and food security in West Africa: demand for integrated Climate Services
• Impacts of climate change on cocoa production in Ghana: mitigating adverse effects through agroforestry-based options
• Mainstreaming climate services into African Union development plan through effective science-policy dialogue

Parallel poster and oral sessions
• Theme 1: Agriculture and Food security
• Theme 2: Climate Monitoring and Disaster Risk Reduction
• Theme 3: Water Resources Management
• Theme 4: Renewable Energy
• Theme 5: Resilient Socio-Ecological Landscapes

Plenary sessions on WASCAL
• WASCAL in a nutshell
• Achievements of the Capacity Building Program
• Achievements of the first research Program
• The new Resarch Program: WASCAL Reaecrh and Action Plan 2018-2021 (WRAP 2.0)

Plenary sessions on climate services

• Delivering on Climate Services‘ promises in West Africa: what is the current situation?
• Effectiveness of Climate Smart Agriculture in improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers
• Pathways towards setting up tailored-climate service delivery systems in West Africa
• Strategies to scale up demand-driven climate services in West Africa
• West Africa under the global warming scenario: what solutions from the Paris Agreement?

WASCAL VISITING SCHOLARS PROGRAMME 2018/2019 CALL FOR APPLICATION

2018-04-30 – 11:41h to 2018-06-01 – 17:00h
West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, (WASCAL) is a large-scale research-focused Climate Service Center designed to help tackle severe challenges posed by climate change and thereby enhance the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increased variability. It does so by strengthening the research infrastructure and capacity in West Africa related to climate change and by pooling the expertise of ten West African countries and Germany. The WASCAL Capacity Building Program through the Graduate studies program handle helps educate the next generation of scientists attain an intimate knowledge of different climate related issues in order to help the region develop suitable management strategies.

WASCAL offers a visiting scholars programme to give qualified scholars an opportunity to work on research topics related to Climate Change adaptation and mitigation issues, to distill a publishable journal article from their recent research or to visit a laboratory abroad for data analysis.

Scholars will spend 2-3 months in an institution in Germany, at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States of America or Italy or International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy. During this time they will prepare one or more papers for publication on line in the WASCAL Capacity building working paper series, and present a seminar in their field of research at the host institution.

Selection criteria:
Applicants should meet the following requirements:
i) Hold a PhD degree and be involved in active research in Climate Change thematic areas.
ii) Be affiliated with an academic institution or research centre located in West Africa Africa;
iii) Publications in refereed journals.
We prefer applicants whose research overlaps with the current research programme of the host institution, but we remain open to proposals on all aspects of Climate Change adaptation and mitigation issues in West Africa.

Application Procedure
Applications should include the following:
i) A letter stating what the applicant wishes to do while in a University in Germany, at NASA in the US or at ICTP in Italy including proposed title(s) of paper(s) they intend to write and outlines if available;
ii) Copy of any publication on Climate Change thematic areas;
iii) Copy of their updated curriculum vitae.

Financial Assistance
Visiting fellows will be provided with a desk and computer, and with access to the internet and university libraries and laboratory. A modest stipend will be provided to cover the cost of a plane ticket and the cost of living while in Germany, US or Italy. The programme does not cover expenses related to dependents.
Application procedure

Closing date for applications: 1st June 2018.
Selected applicants will be informed by email of the final decision within four weeks of the closing deadline. The selected applicants must confirm their decision to take up WASCAL’s offer two weeks after being contacted.

All applications should be sent by email addressed to:
Director of Capacity Building,
West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use,
Accra Office,
CSIR Office Complex, 6 Agostino Neto Road,
Airport Residential Area,
Accra, Ghana.
Email: capacitybp@wascal.org; adelegan.j@wascal.org,
Copy: weto.s@wascal.org; odame.g@wascal.org

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GERMANY’S OFFER FOR A COOPERATION ON RENEWABLE ENERGIES IN GHANA TAKES OFF

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany, (BMBF) and WASCAL have organized a one-day stakeholders workshop to share views, experiences and ideas on how renewable energies can be used to contribute to the development and implementation of sustainable energy solutions in Ghana by means of research.

The workshop which brought together various expertise from within the energy sector in Ghana was to establish bilateral engagement with Ghana will help in identifying a successful way of carrying out the project.

In his address, the Head of Division 722: Basic Energy Research, of the BMBF, Dr. Christoph Rövekamp indicate that the essence of the workshop was to deepen and intensify BMBF’s research cooperation with Ghana in the area of renewable energy.
“Our intention is to identify local needs in a practice-based approach right from the start. Contributing your knowledge is essential to our cooperation. Our efforts would not have a lasting effect without your involvement”
Dr. Rövekamp then emphasized that the overall outcome of the the workshop, was to help delve into solutions that will bring about sustainable energy supply in the country.

“Ultimately, we would like to launch one or more joint pilot projects in Ghana which will achieve a genuine impact with regard to a sustainable energy supply. And different technology options are thinkable. The development of sound business models for clean energy constitutes an important factor for success. Electricity must be affordable” He added.

Honorable Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Ghana’s Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation in his key note address cited hands-on ways of generating renewable energies in Ghana, and assured participants that the Government of Ghana will be monitoring the progress of the workshops and project because of its interest in it.