2018-04-30 – 11:41h to 2018-06-01 – 17:00h
West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, (WASCAL) is a large-scale research-focused Climate Service Center designed to help tackle severe challenges posed by climate change and thereby enhance the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increased variability. It does so by strengthening the research infrastructure and capacity in West Africa related to climate change and by pooling the expertise of ten West African countries and Germany. The WASCAL Capacity Building Program through the Graduate studies program handle helps educate the next generation of scientists attain an intimate knowledge of different climate related issues in order to help the region develop suitable management strategies.

WASCAL offers a visiting scholars programme to give qualified scholars an opportunity to work on research topics related to Climate Change adaptation and mitigation issues, to distill a publishable journal article from their recent research or to visit a laboratory abroad for data analysis.

Scholars will spend 2-3 months in an institution in Germany, at National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the United States of America or Italy or International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Italy. During this time they will prepare one or more papers for publication on line in the WASCAL Capacity building working paper series, and present a seminar in their field of research at the host institution.

Selection criteria:
Applicants should meet the following requirements:
i) Hold a PhD degree and be involved in active research in Climate Change thematic areas.
ii) Be affiliated with an academic institution or research centre located in West Africa Africa;
iii) Publications in refereed journals.
We prefer applicants whose research overlaps with the current research programme of the host institution, but we remain open to proposals on all aspects of Climate Change adaptation and mitigation issues in West Africa.

Application Procedure
Applications should include the following:
i) A letter stating what the applicant wishes to do while in a University in Germany, at NASA in the US or at ICTP in Italy including proposed title(s) of paper(s) they intend to write and outlines if available;
ii) Copy of any publication on Climate Change thematic areas;
iii) Copy of their updated curriculum vitae.

Financial Assistance
Visiting fellows will be provided with a desk and computer, and with access to the internet and university libraries and laboratory. A modest stipend will be provided to cover the cost of a plane ticket and the cost of living while in Germany, US or Italy. The programme does not cover expenses related to dependents.
Application procedure

Closing date for applications: 1st June 2018.
Selected applicants will be informed by email of the final decision within four weeks of the closing deadline. The selected applicants must confirm their decision to take up WASCAL’s offer two weeks after being contacted.

All applications should be sent by email addressed to:
Director of Capacity Building,
West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use,
Accra Office,
CSIR Office Complex, 6 Agostino Neto Road,
Airport Residential Area,
Accra, Ghana.
Email: capacitybp@wascal.org; adelegan.j@wascal.org,
Copy: weto.s@wascal.org; odame.g@wascal.org

The Federal Ministry of Education and Research of Germany, (BMBF) and WASCAL have organized a one-day stakeholders workshop to share views, experiences and ideas on how renewable energies can be used to contribute to the development and implementation of sustainable energy solutions in Ghana by means of research.

The workshop which brought together various expertise from within the energy sector in Ghana was to establish bilateral engagement with Ghana will help in identifying a successful way of carrying out the project.

In his address, the Head of Division 722: Basic Energy Research, of the BMBF, Dr. Christoph Rövekamp indicate that the essence of the workshop was to deepen and intensify BMBF’s research cooperation with Ghana in the area of renewable energy.
“Our intention is to identify local needs in a practice-based approach right from the start. Contributing your knowledge is essential to our cooperation. Our efforts would not have a lasting effect without your involvement”
Dr. Rövekamp then emphasized that the overall outcome of the the workshop, was to help delve into solutions that will bring about sustainable energy supply in the country.

“Ultimately, we would like to launch one or more joint pilot projects in Ghana which will achieve a genuine impact with regard to a sustainable energy supply. And different technology options are thinkable. The development of sound business models for clean energy constitutes an important factor for success. Electricity must be affordable” He added.

Honorable Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Ghana’s Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation in his key note address cited hands-on ways of generating renewable energies in Ghana, and assured participants that the Government of Ghana will be monitoring the progress of the workshops and project because of its interest in it.

Dr. Mouhamadou Bamba Sylla, senior scientist in climate modeling and climate change currently leading the research cluster climate change and climate variability at the WASCAL Competence Centre has been selected as an author in connection with the preparation of the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Report 6 (AR6).

By this appointment, he will be one of the lead authors for the chapter 12 “Climate Change information for regional impact and for risk assessment” of the Working Group 1 (WG1) contribution due in 2021. Together with his co-authors, they will work on integrating both quantitative and qualitative climate change information from multiple lines of evidence on changing hazards for the present day, the near-term and the long-term.

According to Dr. Sylla, working with IPCC is both exciting and challenging. “In fact, the task of Lead Authors is a demanding one. It comes with astute commitment. The workload during the period from the second half of 2018 to 2021 will be in the order of several months and can be particularly heavy during certain periods. At the same time, it is a big honour to be selected to contribute to one of the most comprehensive scientific documents in history” He said.

The IPCC was established in 1988 by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and endorsed by UN assembly. The role of the IPCC is to comprehensively and objectively assess y the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. Every 5 to 7 years, IPCC releases an assessment report written by hundreds of scientists in a very collaborative and collegial way. This report constitutes the current state of knowledge on climate change and informs international policy and negotiations on climate-related issues.

Working Group 1 (WG1) deals with The Physical Science Basis. Each of the chapters is led by a group of Lead Authors and Coordinating Lead Authors that are world-leading climate scientists who represent a broad range of opinion, expertise, gender, and geographical representation. They come from academia, research facilities, industry, government, and non-governmental organizations.

The new political developments on climate-related goals (i.e. the Paris Agreement, the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction accord) that forge the context of the next AR6, all the collaboration with expert scientists from all over the planet working towards a common goal as well as the cross-cultural experiences that will be encountered during the process make it an exciting appointment.

www.ipcc.ch/report/authors/report.authors.php=

The Scientific Advisory Committee of WASCAL (SAC) has held its 9th scientific meeting in Hamburg, Germany to deliberate on scientific issues regarding the organization.

The two-day advisory meeting generated key pieces of advice to the Governing Board meant to move the organization forward in terms of effectiveness, efficiency impacts.

Significant amongst them included the implementation of WASCAL Research Agenda Programme for the next 4 years (WRAP2.0), more synergy between the Research Department and the Capacity Building Department to ensure harmonization and successful development of products and for PhD projects within the WASCAL framework. Also, there was the need for improved visibility of the research findings and the appointment of new members of the scientific committee and their terms of office.

The Scientific Advisory Committee is dedicated to providing first class scientific advice to the Governing Body of the organisation. They also provide understanding and counsel on strategic decisions on relevant scientific activities that WASCAL is engaged in.