The Federal University of Technology, Akure has produced its first set of Doctoral graduates under the West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) Graduate Research Program in West African Climate System (GRP-WACS). Speaking at the passing out ceremony of ten Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) graduands Monday, March 23rd 2015, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Adebiyi Daramola expressed excitement at the initiative’s commitment to the advancement of Climate Science in West Africa and the development of the manpower needed to address climate change that particularly threatens the sub-region. He expressed appreciation to the German government for establishing the GRP-WACS Centre in Nigeria which is one of the six in operation across West African Universities.
Daramola highlighted with satisfaction FUTA’s trailblazing role in the production of PhD graduands. He said FUTA enjoyed the unique privilege of being the only University in West Africa offering full degree programmes in Meteorology, both at undergraduate and postgraduate levels from 1984 until recently when it was joined by Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana and Universite Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar, Senegal.
The Vice-Chancellor noted that the passing out ceremony reminds the system that it owes the future of the environment to the men and women who are well-trained and equipped to ask questions and provide answers to the many Climate Change challenges for decades to come, pointing out that FUTA already serves as the University component of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Regional Meteorological Training Centre (RMTC) of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency. He said “today we send the first ten PhD candidates produced by the WASCAL programme into the world to be teachers, climate scientists, planners and possibly revolutionaries ready to tackle issues of deficient rainfall, floods, drought, food security, environmental management, climate modeling and prediction as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation. We must continue to provide necessary funds to attract and support many more of such talented students in order to ensure the fullest development of their capacities in a rapidly changing world”.

He congratulated the graduands on what he termed laudable achievement in preparation for their contribution to solving the myriads of environmental challenges facing the region and commended their hard work, patience, endurance and dedication which he attributed to their success. He wished them the best in future endeavours and charged them to be ambassadors of WASCAL and FUTA.

Earlier, the Honourable Minister of Environment, Mrs. Laurentia Laraba Mallam who was represented by a Director in the Ministry, Mr. Paul Tafa congratulated the University Management on the timely completion of the first circle of the programme which she attributed to the dedication and commitment to duty of the WASCAL Centre alongside the cooperation and encouragement from the University authority and the community as a whole.

The Minister who traced the establishment of the WASCAL GRP-WACS Centre, in West Africa (FUTA) from 2009 explained that the lack of adequate, reliable and verifiable scientific research findings, data and information on Climate Change in Africa and indeed in Nigeria had continued to be a major challenge against effective policies and actions to combat climate change, hence the Centre which is aimed at engaging in research with Africa to develop excellence as well as build Institutions and capacities. She said “it is for this reason and considering Nigeria’s existing facilities, vast manpower and resources that will put the Centre in good stead to effectively deliver on its goals that the Nigerian government vigorously pursued the opportunity provided by the German government’s initiative which led to the establishment of the Centre in FUTA”.

The Minister who expressed gratitude to the German government for the laudable initiative highlighted socio-economic implications, added benefit to the nation’s research potential, proximal benefit to research Institutions and the opportunity for the nation to drive the process as benefits to Nigeria for hosting one as WASCAL’s Centres, adding that the graduation is the beginning of such benefits.

She noted that the best gift any country could give another was the tool to enhance its ability to tackle challenges and chart a well-defined course for its people to attain their full potential and share knowledge through quality research and education. She explained that the Federal Ministry of Environment built on the WASCAL initiative to further enhance the Centre’s data management by installing a state-of-the-art High Performance Computing (HPC) System at FUTA WASCAL Centre and also undertook a training on “Establishing and Use of the E-infrastructure for Climate Change Data and Information Management System in Nigeria” between 5th August and 30th September, 2014 towards better policy formulation and implementation.

She therefore urged the University Management and the Centre to explore options of availing wider spectrum of stakeholders the services of the centre and the climate information for use in research and other socio-economic sectors of the nation. She assured the Centre and the University as a whole of government’s support in sustaining the beneficial initiative in fulfilling its obligations under the WASCAL cooperative agreement and to also support and partner the Centre to initiate, plan and finance training activities that will showcase the importance and practical use of climate information. She congratulated the graduands and called on them to use the knowledge acquired effectively in their respective countries and beyond.

Dr. Laurent Sedogo, the Executive Director, WASCAL who was represented by the Director, Department of Graduate Studies, Dr. Mamadou Ouattara said the graduation was a landmark for both WASCAL and FUTA. He praised the exemplary collaboration received from the Vice-Chancellor and Management teams of FUTA WASCAL had worked with. He said “the commitment and efficient conduct of the Programme’s activities by your team and the support provided by your colleagues in other Universities of Nigeria, of West African Countries, Germany, South Africa, United States of America and so on have allowed reaching the results we are celebrating today”.

The Executive Director explained that WASCAL is an ambitious initiative owned by ten African Countries of the ECOWAS region, Nigeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, strongly supported by the Federal Government of Germany to carry out research intended to provide science-based advice to policymakers and stakeholders on Climate Change impacts, mitigation and adaptation measures. Expressing joy over the success of the graduands, he told them to be aware that they are the first tangible and probably the most important products of WASCAL. He urged them to always represent a unique and important investment that the West African region can count on; reminding them of the uniqueness of the training they had received.

He promised WASCAL and FUTA’s continued support for the graduands in order to successfully play their roles in the society, asking them to keep in mind the necessity to cherish and maintain the relations established during their studies at the Centre.

The Chairman, WASCAL International Board, Professor Haidara who couldn’t hide his excitement on the production of PhD graduands under the initiative in the region expressed gratitude over the excellent collaboration between WASCAL and FUTA and hoped that the partnership would continue.

Addressing the gathering, the Director, WASCAL, FUTA, Professor Jerome Omotosho described the occasion as unique. He reiterated that it was the first of its kind in FUTA, Nigeria and West African as a region. He noted with pride that FUTA was the first University in the region to receive the privilege to host WASCAL PhD programme in Climate System. He thanked the immediate past Professor Adebisi Balogun led-administration for keying into the initiative that has become a reference point for FUTA. He expressed gratitude to God and the German government for the success of the programme in FUTA thus far and commended the Vice-Chancellor for the special attention and encouragement the Centre had enjoyed from him and his administration.

Delivering his goodwill message, the Director General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Dr. Anthony Anuforom described the event as another major achievement in the training of Meteorologists in the sub-region. He said FUTA set the pace in the establishment of a department of Meteorology and today West Africa is getting to its climax on its account. He noted that almost all meteorologists in the region are products of FUTA and are excelling in their chosen field. He thanked the University Management for providing a conducive learning environment and pledged his continued support for FUTA while congratulating the graduands. The Director General was represented by Mr. Ifeanyi Nnodu, Director, Nigerian Meteorological Agency,

Charging the graduands to be conscious of their training as solution providers on climate change which he tagged a global phenomenon, the immediate past Vice-Chancellor, FUTA, Professor Adebisi Balogun urged them to see themselves as global graduates and not restrain themselves to the region. He enjoined them to make the best of the opportunity given to change the region with the acquired knowledge and congratulated them for coming, seeing and conquering.

The representative of the Vice-Chancellor, Federal University of Technology, Minna, Dr. Appollonia Okhimamhe also noted that FUTA had proven that Nigeria has what it takes to move the region forward.

The graduands who are citizens of West African countries are:
S/N NAME GENDER COUNTRY
1. AKINSEYE, Folorunsho Mathew M Nigeria
2. ANNOR, Thompson M Ghana
3. AWOTUSE, Ayoola Olamitomi F Nigeria
4. BAMBA, Adama M Cote d’ivoire
5. DIASSO, Ulrich Jacques M Burkina Faso
6. QUANSAH, Emmanuel M Ghana
7. MOUNKAILA SALEY, Moussa M Niger
8. NIANG, Coumba F Senegal
9. SANOGO, Souleymane M Mali
10. TOURE, N’Datchoh Evelyne F Cote d’ivoire

https://documentcloud.adobe.com/link/track?uri=urn%3Aaaid%3Ascds%3AUS%3A89afa283-7996-4462-9867-4c69d9580e10

From 22-24 January, 2015, the WASCAL Competence Center in Ouagadougou held a workshop to discuss the set-up of a Regional Hydro-Climate Observation Network (ReHCONS) in West Africa for long-term climate data collection and analysis. Aside from representatives of WASCAL, the workshop was attended by the directors and representatives of the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS), as well as those of universities and research institutions from the WASCAL member countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo. WASCAL seeks to improve the quality of the information provided by the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services of the member countries by connecting regional partners in a hydro-meteorological data collection and infrastructure network process.

Approximately 80 experts from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, research institutions and universities of the WASCAL mandate region participated in the workshop. The workshop was opened by Dr. Laurent Sédogo, Executive Director of WASCAL, Dr. Dr. Dietrich Pohl, Ambassador of the German Embassy in Ouagadougou, and Prof. Filiga Michel Sawadogo, Minister of Secondary, Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Currently, the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NHHS) face many challenges to maintain their data collection stations and to provide conclusive meteorological and hydrological data. The network density of the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services is low in many West African countries and below standards recommended by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Frequent failures in equipment lead to gaps in the data records. The NMHS stated problems concerning data archiving, quality control and analysis including deficiencies in staff number (mostly affected by personnel retirement) and capacity building.

Dr. Laurent Sédogo, Executive Director of WASCAL, stressed the importance of working together in the effort to combat climate change: “It is only together that we can handle the issue of climate change. Not every single country has the scientific capacity, the human capacity, and the technical capacity to tackle climate change. For the northern countries climate change may be a scenario of the future, but we in West Africa, we already live the reality of climate change.” “WASCAL aims to assess, connect and enhance the existing national observation networks”, explains Dr. Boubacar Barry, director of the WASCAL Competence Center. “Such cooperation would benefit all participants.” WASCAL will provide the networks with a number of stations to fill the gaps in the network. Training of staff members will further contribute to a successful running of the stations. WASCAL’s data infrastructure will serve as a shared dissemination platform. Based on the data provided by the national services, WASCAL in return will be able to improve models, climate change scenarios and offer climate services to stakeholders in the West African region.

The workshop followed two regional workshops organized by WASCAL in August 2010 during which the directors and representatives of the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services presented the history and the current situation of their respective organisations, on tasks, weaknesses and strengths as well as their expectations of how WASCAL can support and strengthen the West African observation networks on climate and water resources. “Following up with the results from the workshops in 2010, we established a timeline and agreed on a communique to outline the further steps towards the establishment of the Regional Hydro-Climate Observation Network. Another important result was the drafting of a joint Data Sharing Policy, which regulates the rights and regulations concerning data exchange” summarised Dr. Mouhamadou Bamba Sylla, Coordinator of the WASCAL Observation Networks.

Projektseite WASCAL

Commitment to the implementation of natural resources management policies in Africa will help in enhancing the contribution of natural resources to the continent’s
development.

This was one of the key messages in the closing remarks of the Director of the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA), Dr. Elias T.Ayuk, at a book launch event organised by the Institute in Accra.

Dr. Ayuk observed that there is a continuum of six I’s (ideas, innovation, incentives, institutions,infrastructure and implementation), which need to be addressed to promote development in Africa.

Citing the agricultural sector as an example, he emphasised the need for innovative ideas and technologies in processing food crops for domestic consumption and exports. He, however, acknowledged that incentives would boost innovations, and appealed to African governments and other stakeholders to help promote productivity of the agricultural sector with adequate financial support that target small and medium-size enterprises.

Dr. Ayuk stressed the need for strong institutions and massive infrastructure development to promote the growth of many African countries.

“Africa really needs strong leadership and infrastructural improvement at all levels to accelerate growth. We need to enhance capacity at our institutions to improve efficiency and expand our market infrastructure to promote export,” Dr. Ayuk reiterated.

The books launched by the Institute at the event are entitled “Economic and Financial Analyses of Small and Medium Food Crop Agro-Processing Firms in Ghana” and Harnessing Land and Water Resources for Improved Food Security and Ecosystem Services in Africa”.

The first book “Economic and Financial Analyses of Small and Medium Food Crop Agro-Processing Firms in Ghana” reports on a research project that analysed agro-processing firms’ economic situations in Ghana.

Findings from the study revealed that the agro-processing subsector in Ghana is characterised by high informality with lack of business planning, poor financial records keeping and financial analysis, and absence of risks and performance monitoring. High interest rate of loans is also identified as one of the factors limiting the profitability of agro-processing firms.

One of the policy options explored in the book is the development of customised innovative and inclusive financial products and services to meet the specific needs of micro, small and medium food crops processing enterprises to improve their profitability. It also proposes increased awareness on quality control and standardization as well as capacity development as potential strategies to promote the growth of the agro-processing sub-sector.

The second book “Harnessing Land and Water Resources for Improved Food Security and Ecosystem Services in Africa” is a compilation of research papers that draw attention to the impact of human activities on land and water resources. Issues such as wastewater management, water pollution,land degradation, massive land acquisition, and climate change impact on food security were discussed in the book. Among the potential policy directions, the book calls for the provision of alternative livelihoods such as the promotion of aquaculture, recycling of agro-wastes for biofuel and soil amendment measures to halt land degradation and water pollution in Africa.

Commenting on the two books at the launch, the Director of Agri-business of the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), Ghana, Mr. Nicholas Neequaye, called for more private sector partnerships to address issues of post-harvest losses, land degradation and water pollution in Africa. He said “we must admit that addressing these challenges properly calls for private sector partnership to complement Governments’ efforts”.

The production of these knowledge products, according to the UNU-INRA Director is to provide empirical evidence for policy makers and other stakeholders on the state of natural resources in Africa. This, he indicated, is in line with the Institute’s mandate to promote thsustainable use of natural resources in Africa, for development.

About UNU-INRA
UNU-INRA’s work centres on Africa’s two most important endowments — its human and natural resources. It aims at strengthening capacities at universities and other national institutions to conduct research and produce well-trained individuals with the ability to develop, adapt and disseminate
technologies that promote the sustainable use of the continent’s natural resources. UNU-INRA operates out of its main office at the University of Ghana campus. It has also established operating units (OUs) at the University of Cocody, Abidjan, Ivory Coast, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia, University of Namibia, Windhoek, Namibia, and Institute for
Food Technology (ITA) of the Ministry of Mines and Industry in Dakar, Senegal.

Photo from left to right: Prof. Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah, Professor, College of Agriculture & Consumer Sciences,University of Ghana and member of UNU-INRA Advisory Board, Dr. Laurent Sedogo, Director, WASCAL, Mr. Nicholas Neequaye, Director of Agribusiness,(MoFA) and Dr. Elias. T. Ayuk, UNU-INRA Director.

Source:UNU-INRA.

LOCATION:
Togo

The WASCAL Master programme supports and facilitates academic instruction on the links between climate change and human security in West Africa. The program is hosted at the University of Lomé, in association with UNU-EHS as a counterpart institution to offer students an integrated learning environment. Students acquire the necessary skills to qualify them as disaster and risk management specialists on climatic risks based on relevant background knowledge in meteorology, geosciences, social sciences, health, economics, institutions, law and policy.

Upon completion of their study, students are expected to be able to:

Analyze, with scientific tools and methods, the threats and climatic risks societies or communities face;
Synthesize knowledge regarding integrated management strategies for climate change, specifically to improve human security;
Offer adaptation options, strategies and plans to deal with climate change at multiple scales;
Assist communities in dealing with climate change by implementing integrated adaptation and mitigation strategies.

UNU-EHS provides the scientific expertise in vulnerability and risk assessment frameworks and methodologies, along with insights into ongoing research activities and outcomes. Furthermore, UNU-EHS, together with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Regional Office for West and Central Africa (UNOCHA ROWCA) and the Togolese Red Cross, train students in the use of geospatial technologies, such as Remote Sensing and GIS for applications in the area of disaster risk reduction and emergency response preparedness.

L’Université Abdou Moumouni de Niamey lance un programme de Master de deux ans sur les changements climatiques et énergie (MRP-CCE) à compter de l’année scolaire 2014-2015. Le programme offre une bourse complète aux candidats retenus. Les candidats potentiels sont invités à soumettre une demande pour la sélection.
Ce Programme de Master Recherche est ouvert aux meilleurs étudiants et ingénieurs avec une licence dans les disciplines scientifiques ou d’ingénierie avec au moins la Mention Assez-bien. Les candidats qui ont de fortes adptitudes en physique, chimie, génie civil, génie de l’environnement, génie électrique ou génie mécanique sont préférés.

Conditions d’admissibilité au programme:
• Etre un citoyen d’un des pays membres de WASCAL: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambie, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria et Togo
• Envoyer une lettre de motivation
• Fournir des relevés de notes et des copies de diplômes
• Fournir des lettres de recommandation de trois références
• Fournir un curriculum vitae
• Les candidats francophones doivent avoir un niveau intermediaire en anglais
Date limite: 15 Aout 2014

Par Hervé Adou

Selon Laurent Sedogo, directeur exécutif du programme, les premiers diplômés des différentes écoles, situées à Bingerville, « seront opérationnels début 2015 ».

Il s’agit de 158 étudiants issus de six écoles doctorales et quatre autres de niveau master, après trois ans de formation. Changement climatique: Les membres du programme Wascal consolident leurs acquis

Par Hervé Adou

Selon Laurent Sedogo, directeur exécutif du programme, les premiers diplômés des différentes écoles, situées à Bingerville, « seront opérationnels début 2015 ».

Il s’agit de 158 étudiants issus de six écoles doctorales et quatre autres de niveau master, après trois ans de formation. Changement climatique: Les membres du programme Wascal consolident leurs acquis

WASCAL – das West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use ist ein gemeinsames Projekt von 10 westafrikanischen Staaten und deutschen Forschungseinrichtungen. Finanziert durch das Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), wird das Projekt am Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung (ZEF) der Universität Bonn ausgeführt, mit dem Ziel eine dauerhafte Forschungseinrichtung in Westafrika zu schaffen, die als regionales Klimaservicezentrum fungiert. Mit der Bestätigung durch sechs der zehn beteiligten westafrikanischen Partnerländer und der Westafrikanischen Wirtschaftsgemeinschaft ECOWAS, ist WASCAL nun offiziell als regionale internationale Organisation gegründet worden.
Nachhaltige Strukturen schaffen – Klimakompetenz in Westafrika langfristig steigern

Basierend auf klimarelevanten Forschungsergebnissen sollen die westafrikanischen Länder in die Lage versetzt werden, Entscheidungen für eine nachhaltige Land- und Wassernutzung treffen zu können. „Forschungsprojekte sind in der Regel auf einen befristeten Zeitraum angelegt. Das bedeutet aber, dass mit dem Ende des Projektes auch die Wissenschaftler, und damit die Ergebnisse und die Infrastruktur, das Forschungsgebiet wieder verlassen. Mit der Etablierung von WASCAL als regionale internationale Organisation soll sichergestellt werden, dass sowohl Forschungsergebnisse als auch Forschungsinfrastrukturen langfristig in Westafrika zugänglich und nutzbar sind“, erklärt Professor Dr. Paul Vlek, Direktor von WASCAL und des Zentrums für Entwicklungsforschung in Bonn. Dies bedeutet aber auch, dass sich die Partnerländer ab 2013 mit steigenden Anteilen an der Finanzierung von WASCAL beteiligten werden. „In Zukunft wird WASCAL als Klimazentrum eine gemeinsame Ressource für die westafrikanischen Staaten sein, finanziert durch die beteiligten Länder und internationale Geldgeber“, erläutert Vlek weiter.

Daten, Experten und technische Infrastruktur für Westafrika

Der Klimawandel stellt für Westafrika eine Herausforderung dar. Obwohl Afrika der Kontinent mit den geringsten Schadstoffemissionen ist, wird er voraussichtlich von den Folgen des Klimawandels besonders stark betroffen sein. Bislang fehlen in Westafrika nicht nur umfassende Daten zum Klimawandel, sondern auch die technische Infrastruktur und Experten, um die Daten auszuwerten und Schlüsse daraus zu ziehen. Daher setzt WASCAL auf drei Komponenten: In zehn Graduiertenschulen an Universitäten der Partnerländer werden Masterstudenten und Doktoranden ausgebildet. In einem interdisziplinären Forschungsprogramm untersuchen deutsche und westafrikanische Forscher Fragen zur Land- und Wassernutzung in Verbindung mit Ökosystemleistungen und der Ernährungssicherung in Westafrika. Ein Kompetenzzentrum in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, bündelt die Forschungsarbeiten und berät Politiker, Vertreter aus der Wirtschaft und die Bevölkerung.

Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Niger und Togo haben WASCAL bestätigt

Die Initiative zur Gründung von WASCAL ging vom Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) gemeinsam mit den Ministerien und Regierungen der zehn beteiligten westafrikanischen Staaten aus. Neben den Staaten Benin, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Niger und Togo, die ihre offizielle Anerkennung bereits mitgeteilt haben, sind Elfenbeinküste, Mali, Nigeria und Senegal an WASCAL beteiligt. 2010 begann die gemeinsame Planungsphase, 2012 die Umsetzungsphase. WASCAL wird vom BMBF bis 2016 mit insgesamt 50 Millionen Euro gefördert. Neben den westafrikanischen Partnern sind Forschungseinrichtungen aus ganz Deutschland beteiligt. Die Koordination der Deutschen Partner liegt beim Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung (ZEF) der Universität Bonn.
Kontakt:
Jelana Vajen
Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung (ZEF) der Universität Bonn
Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit WASCAL
Tel.: 0228-73-4949
press@wascal.org

Weitere Informationen unter: www.wascal.org