Prof. René Haak, Head of Division “Global Change” at the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) has emphasized that results provided by climate research must not remain abstract but must be processed comprehensibly and transformed into practical applications.
This was contained in his speech at a side event
dubbed “World Café- Climate Research made in West and Southern Africa”,
co-organized by the West Africa Science Service Centre on Climate Change
and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) and the Southern Africa Regional Science
Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Use (SASSCAL) with
support from their German partners, The German Federal Ministry of
Education and Research (BMBF) and the Center for Development Research,
University of Bonn, (ZEF) at the just ended UNFCCC 23rd Conference of
Parties (COP23) in Bonn, Germany.
Prof. Haak, therefore, entreated SASSCAL and WASCAL to ensure a plan in place to build relevant capacities in this context.
He further recounted the efforts of the German Government in ensuring the smooth and sustainable operations of both centres, but challenged them to own the centres as a way of reciprocating the efforts.
“My Ministry, The German Research and Education
Ministry is committed to providing SASSCAL and WASCAL with the necessary
funds for consolidation. But the African partners must own their
respective centres since they were African centres and not German
centres.
He, however, requested the African partner countries
to reciprocate the efforts by the German Government by fulfilling their
financial commitment contributions to allow for sustainability.
“In
return that our African partner countries pay their financial
contributions to giving the centres a long-term perspective: by
involving them in regional cooperation structures such as ECOWAS, by
linking them up with national research institutions and programmes and,
of course, by providing own funding for their operation.”
Chronicling the inception of the two organizations,
Prof. Haak recalled a fruitful collaboration that had been nurtured
over the years between Germany and the two centres.
“We began
establishing these two centres in 2010 together with our African
partners. Basically, both centres aim to strengthen research and promote
the establishment of research capacities and infrastructures in the
partner countries as well as enable them to draw up their own strategies
and priorities for dealing with climate change and its impact.” He
said.
“BMBF has given support financially but has also mobilized
German researchers to enter into a partnership with their African
colleagues to design those strategies and priorities. We are proud of
the work done so far and encourage WASCAL and SASSCAL to double their
efforts to find creative ways to sustain the funding mechanisms by being
excellent, relevant and innovative in their orientation. “ Prof. Haak
stated.
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and
Innovation (MESTI) of Ghana, Honourable Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng
also stated on behalf of the African partner countries that climate
change was real in West Africa, especially in Ghana where nine of the
ten rivers had been polluted as a result of illegal mining, also known
as “Galamsey”. He, however, indicated that the establishment of WASCAL
and the services it offers West Africa were very relevant.
World
Café’ also witnessed a discussion session where the hundreds of
participants moved to four tables to discuss issues pertaining to
Climate Change in Africa.
