The Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Burkina Faso, Prof. Adjima Thombiano has stated that the government of Burkina Faso looked forward to receiving the resolutions and any other results from the just-ended WASCAL Science Symposium, worth implementing by the government of Burkina Faso, as part of its efforts to realize the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) on Climate Change.
« We believe in strategic partnerships, and we do not take it lightly, the strong interdisciplinary experts that have been gathered here this week in the interest of Climate Change. My ministry and I are very interested in tapping into the solutions that have been provided here, and we shall be glad to scale up the presentations into practical actions in Burkina Faso » He said.
The Minister also appealed to WASCAL to expedite the EURO 7 million ultra-modern Competence Centre which will serve the entire science community in West Africa and beyond when completed.
He expressed delight at the German funded facility through the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and emphasized the enormous relevance of the Competence Centre, not only to Burkina Faso or West Africa, but to the global science community.
“Burkina Faso is confident that the construction of this ultramodern building will undoubtedly begin for the benefit of the people of the West African sub-region, Africa, and the entire world. In this regard, I invite all stakeholders to be diligent, to give their time and energy so that this jewel emerges from the ground to enable our common institution to properly fulfil its mission”.
The Minister was speaking at the opening session of the 2nd WASCAL Science Symposium (WASS2022) in Ouagadougou.
Prof. Thombiano also recounted the unfortunate consequences of Climate Change in West Africa, recalling that Africa was continuously confronted with the adverse effects of Climate Change and West Africa was particularly affected, he, therefore, commended WASCAL for the innovative platform created to visibly dialogue and disseminate research results, technologies and innovations that can effectively contribute to alleviating the suffering of the populations of the sub-region in the face of the devastating effects of Climate Change.
Prof. Thiombiano, who was also a member of the WASCAL Scientific Advisory Committee , expressed his deepest gratitude to the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and owed a special mention to Dr. Karsten Hess, Head of Division, Global Climate Change in Research and Biodiversity, for having activated and accelerated the process of funding and construction of the Competence Centre.
He finally appreciated the dynamic collaboration between WASCAL and its partners, especially the German educational and research institutions and the regional and international institutions that have joined this effort to combat Climate Change in West Africa.