The Scientific Advisory Committee will advise the Governing Board and the Executive Director on the direction and alignment of WASCAL’s research agenda. The international committee is composed of renowend scientist from the fields of climate change and land use. The members of the Scientific Advisory Committee are:

Prof. Jimmy Omoniyi Adegoke, Director, Center for Applied Environmental Research (CAER)
Department of Geosciences, University of Missouri Kansas City, USA
Prof. Janos Bogardi, Global Water System Project International Project Office, Germany
Prof. Anna Creti, Université Paris Dauphine, LeDA-CGEMP (Laboratoire d’économie de Dauphine
– Centre de Géopolitique de l’Energie et des matières premières), FRANCE
Dr. Arona Diedhiou, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD), LTHE / Université de Grenoble-Alpes, FRANCE
Dr. Daniela Jacob, Climate Services Center 2.0, Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, GERMANY
Dr. Ardjouma Thiombiano, Université de Ouagadougou, UFR-SVT, BURKINA FASO
Prof. Adrian Tompkins, International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), Trieste, ITALY
Prof. Adama Traoré, Directeur de Recherche et Consultant en Recherche & Developpement agricoles, MALI
Dr. Hassan Virji, System for Analysis, Research and Training (START),USA

The Committee appointed Prof. Jimmy Omoniyi Adegoke as chairman and Dr. Arona Diedhiou as deputy chairman.

The paper “Field Facts for Crop Insurance Design: Empirical Evidence from Southern Burkina Faso” written by Dr. William M. FONTA, Dr. Safiétou SANFO, Dr. Boubacar IBRAHIM, and Dr. Boubacar BARRY was selected by Making Finance Work 4 Africa (MFW4A) to receive one of two awards to be given at the African Microfinance Week. The award is donated with EUR 6.000.

A certificate from the Africa Development Bank will be presented during the 1st Plenary Session of the African Microfinance Week “Accelerating innovative rural and agricultural finance in Africa”, that will take place on Tuesday 30 June from 11.30 am to 1 pm. Dr. Boubacar Barry will accept the award on behalf of the whole team of authors.

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.

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WASCAL students were extremely well represented at this year’s prestigious annual Global Development Conference of Global Development Network (GDN) in Casablanca.
In the highly competitive selection process four WASCAL Students and recent Post Docs from the WASCAL Doctoral Program Climate Change Economics at Cheikh Anta Diop University (Dakar) made it through the selection and participated in the climate change session. Owodon Afo-Loko (Togo), Aboubakr Gambo Boukary (Niger), Boris Lokonon (Benin), Mikemina Pilo (Togo) were among only 5% of applicants, who were selected and invited for speaker or poster presentations.

Germany is investing € 50 million into the West African Science Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL).

The investment is to enable WASCAL develop it basic infrastructure as it seeks to fulfil its mission of training climate change researchers.

Mr Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, said this during the West African Ministers of WASCAL Conference in Accra on Monday.

He said climate change is an all-encompassing threat that is destroying livelihoods and affecting many across the globe.

“It is a threat to the world’s supply of fresh water, our source of life and threat to the world’s food supply as rising temperatures and prolonged draught renders fertile areas unfit for grazing or crops,” the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central said.

Mr Ayariga said the offer by the Germany to assist West African States with the establishment of a Climate Change Service Centre to support regional efforts in combating climate change is timely.

He said the study of climate change science requires enormous investment that may not be economical for one country alone to undertake.

Mr Ayariga said the establishment of WASCAL is necessary to harness regional efforts for the collective benefit as it would help find solutions and answers to the major questions pervading in the field of climate change and sustainable land use.

Mr Ayariga said through the graduate programmes of WASCAL, Ghana would be able to close its large deficit in the training of highly skilled experts capable of facing the scientific challenges of climate change.

Mr Ruediger John, German Ambassador, said Germany is committed to ensure that West African countries are prepared to combat the issues of climate change.

WASCAL was created in 2012 by the 10 West African States namely Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Togo and Senegal.

Germany is investing €50 million into the West African Science Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL).

The investment is to enable WASCAL develop it basic infrastructure as it seeks to fulfil its mission of training climate change researchers.

Mr Mahama Ayariga, Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, said this during the West African Ministers of WASCAL Conference in Accra on Monday.

He said climate change is an all-encompassing threat that is destroying livelihoods and affecting many across the globe.

“It is a threat to the world’s supply of fresh water, our source of life and threat to the world’s food supply as rising temperatures and prolonged draught renders fertile areas unfit for grazing or crops,” the Member of Parliament for Bawku Central said.

Mr Ayariga said the offer by the Germany to assist West African States with the establishment of a Climate Change Service Centre to support regional efforts in combating climate change is timely.

He said the study of climate change science requires enormous investment that may not be economical for one country alone to undertake.

Mr Ayariga said the establishment of WASCAL is necessary to harness regional efforts for the collective benefit as it would help find solutions and answers to the major questions pervading in the field of climate change and sustainable land use.

Mr Ayariga said through the graduate programmes of WASCAL, Ghana would be able to close its large deficit in the training of highly skilled experts capable of facing the scientific challenges of climate change.

Mr Ruediger John, German Ambassador, said Germany is committed to ensure that West African countries are prepared to combat the issues of climate change.

WASCAL was created in 2012 by the 10 West African States namely Ghana, Benin, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, Gambia, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Togo and Senegal.

Source: GNA