Doctoral Programme Climate Change and Human Habitat

About the Programme:

The WASCAL DRP in Climate Change and Human Habitat, hosted by the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUT Minna), Niger State, NIGERIA, is designed to encourage cross-border collaboration in education and research aimed at addressing the impacts of climate change in West Africa in an integrated, cross-disciplinary and multi-sectoral manner, with specific focus on developing sustainable cities, proffering policy and design options to minimize lopsided growth of urban settlements viz-a-viz; and encourage the development of rural settlements to serve as “green” destinations for overcrowded cities; promote urban agriculture and forestry, among others.

Objectives of the Programme:

As with all other WASCAL International-level Doctoral Research Programmes (DRPs), with the completion of the programme, the participants shall, among others, form the critical mass of young scientists on Climate Change and Human Habitat in their various countries with the greatest prospects for spearheading research and development that could impact the change necessitated by climate change adaptation strategies; and be able to contribute to the development of innovative approaches to managing natural resources in relation to climate change, among others.

Key Modules of the Programme:

The programme shall run on a modularized system (course unit system); hence, course work is structured in seven (7) modules and shall be examined. Both practical and theoretical courses will be offered for the first six (6) months of the programme. These will be a combination of core courses that emphasize the focus of the program i.e. Climate Change and Human Habitat, as well as specialized options which will be electives selected based on the student’s area of specialization. The core courses include Urban and Rural Settlements in Africa, Radiative Transfer, Habitat Informatics I: Skills Development, Advanced Statistical and Geostatistics Techniques for Climate Science, Advanced Geographic Information Systems, Advanced Remote Sensing, Community Based Project (Fieldwork), Habitat Informatics II: Advanced Research Methodology, Applied Micrometeorology, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Settlements Dynamics and Modelling, Regional Climate System Modelling,  and Technology and Mega City Studio; The Specialized Options (electives) are Landscape Ecology, Environmental Protection and Sustainability, Transport Planning and Sustainable Mobility, Housing and Green Spaces Management, Climate Change, Energy and Settlements,

Programme Duration:

The programme duration for WASCAL CC & HH DRPs is 43 months, which comprises the following:

4 months of English/French language course in Ghana/Togo, 6 months of lectures to be completed within the first academic session of the study in FUT Minna, 27 months of research and scientific field visits and

a six months preparation for the final defense.

Relevance of Course in West Africa:

West Africa has highly populated capital cities along its vast coastland, a number of these are at risk as sea level rises and coastal erosion and flooding increase. Similarly, key highly populated cities are located in the hinterland and are at risk as less frequent rainfall events could lead to dry conditions, which make human comfort more expensive to maintain. The bleak picture does not end there, since cities in more habitable locations would become a “magnet” attracting a steady flow of humans in search of condusive environments to thrive in. How do we transform our overcrowded cities into sustainable cities that mainstream climate change adaptation strategies into their operations? How do we improve on rural environments such that there is minimal push towards the overcrowded cities? WASCAL Doctoral Research Programme on Climate Change and Human Habitat seeks to answer these questions and more, as it combines these two trending key foci of the research community, not only by providing a platform for young West African researchers to participate in global research through assessments and modelling of impacts of climate change on human habitat, and vice versa; with key target being rural and urban settlements; urban agriculture and forestry; urban and rural adaptation and mitigation strategies, rural and urban migration issues, among others.