WASCAL, in partnership with GERICS, has ended a two-day Science-Policy Dialogue in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, aimed at addressing one of the most pressing challenges in climate action, how to integrate uncertainties in decision-making.
The event brought together top climate scientists, policymakers, and experts to explore the role of climate services in shaping effective policies for sustainable development across Africa. With the theme “Climate Services for Africa: How to Integrate Uncertainties in Decision-Making,” the dialogue provided a platform for the exchange of ideas and knowledge on the latest advancements in climate data, models, and tools that can help decision-makers solve the complexities of climate change.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Emmanuel Wendsongré Ramdé, Executive Director of WASCAL, highlighted that climate change, with its diverse and unpredictable adverse effects on livelihoods, generates significant uncertainty across various socio-economic sectors, exposing the difficulty in decision-making in areas such as agriculture, the environment, and health. He, therefore, stressed the critical importance of bridging the gap between science and policy.
“Translating climate information into actionable decisions is crucial for enhancing resilience and sustainable development in West Africa. This dialogue serves as a vital forum for fostering collaboration between scientists and policymakers, equipping them with the necessary tools to navigate climate uncertainties and develop effective policies.” He stated.
Representative of GERICS, Dr Torsten Weber, emphasised the key role of regional climate projections in informing decision-making processes, especially in the context of uncertainty surrounding climate change.
“Understanding the distinctions between predictions and projections is vital, as it enables us to better interpret and utilize climate data effectively”. He said.
The representative of the Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation of Burkina Faso, Mr. Bado Saturnin, also stated that this dialogue was an important opportunity to connect science and policy by turning scientific knowledge into practical solutions for our West African communities. He emphasized the necessity for researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders to work collaboratively to address the serious challenges posed by climate change.
Among the key discussed were model results supporting decision-making, interrogating open-access data, data sharing and closing data gaps, understanding and managing uncertainties in decision-making, and contributions from policymakers.
This science-policy dialogue was preceded by a WASCAL-GERICS school on crop modeling, climate modeling, and artificial intelligence in climate services. The programme, which aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to make future projections, represent reality, and use this knowledge to anticipate challenges in agriculture and other sectors affected by climate change, targeted practitioners, government agents, policymakers, early-career scientists, doctoral students, and humanitarian professionals.
The event concluded with the adoption of a communiqué summarizing actionable recommendations for strengthening data-driven climate policies. It brought together scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the region to address the challenges of translating climate data into actionable policies.