WASCAL ACCREDITATION PROCESS BY HCERES  AT UCAD AND UAC (SITE VISIT)

After 10 years of implementation, WASCAL has undertaken the evaluation and the international accreditation of th curricula of its Graduate studies programme. The Instittution doing that is HCERES from France (HIGH COUNCIL FOR THE EVALUATION OF RESEARCH AND HIGHER EDUCATION). HCERES has a national and international Departments in France, Europe and Beyond Europe.

The GSP in the following country are on this process base on the requirement criteria. The remain countries will be soon embarked in the process after the graduation of two batches.

  1. BENIN – Abomey Calavy University : Doctoral research programme in Climate Change and Water resources – 2018
  2. GHANA – Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi : Doctoral research programme in Climate Change and Land Use – 2011
  3. MALI – Institut Polytechnique Rural de Formation et de Recherche Appliquée de Katibougou : Dorctoral research programme on Climate Change and Agriculture –  2011
  4. NIGERIA, Ondo State – Federal University of Technology, Akure : Doctoral Research Programme in West African Climate System of the West African Science Centre in Climate science and Adapted land-use (WASCAL)
  5. SENEGAL – University Cheikh Anta Diop : The Doctoral programme in Climate Change Economics – 2011
  6. BURKINA FASO – Joseph Ki-Zerbo University : The Master research Programme in Inomatics for Climate Change – 2019
  7. CAPE VERT – Atlantic Technical University Mindelo : The Master research pogramme in Climate Change and Maines Sciences

In the process of accreditation of the doctoral program in climate change economics of WASCAL (CCE-UCAD), a delegation of the HCERES of Paris was welcomed at the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar (UCAD) on March 9 and 10, 2023.

The first day of March 9, 2023 (from 9 am to 6 pm), was used for meetings between the delegation and various stakeholders notably the executive direction, the supporting staff, the supervisors and lecturers, the students under training and alumnus. A site visit was organized as to close this first day.

After a brief opening ceremony led by Professor Aminata Niang Diene, Deputy Vice Chancellor of UCAD in charge of Pedagogy and Research, and Professor Maguatte Sylla Niang, Director of the Internal Quality Assurance Unit (CIAQ) first institutional meeting took place between the HCERES delegation, the WASCAL staff and the head of HCERES delegation M. Benoit Gabrielle, Expert/Professor at Agroparistech. A brief questions/answers session about the organigram of UCAD and the role of WASCAL as a regional program has been addressed.

The graduate research programme on  Climate Change and Water Resources (WASCAL-UAC) is one of the selected doctoral programmes to participate in this process consisting of self-evaluation, external evaluation, site visit, evaluation report and the process of decision. After the two first stages, the site visit was done from the 4th to the 5th of April 2023 at the WASCAL-UAC Venue at the University of Abomey Calavi in Benin. It consisted of different distinct meetings with the WASCAL staff, lecturers and student supervisors, PhD students of the 4th and 5th batches, Alumni of the programme, Academic and professional partners of the programme, and the visit of two laboratories of the National Water Institute of the University of Abomey Calavi under which the GRP is located.  

The team of the evaluation was composed of Christophe CUDENEC,  Academic Expert; Mathilde COLAS, Student Expert; Pierre COURTELLEMONT,  Scientific Advisor DEI – HCERES. The meeting with WASCAL-UAC staff was done in the presence of Prof. Daouda KONE, Director of the Capacity Building Department of WASCAL; Prof. Brice SINSIN, Former WASCAL Board Member; Prof. Flora CHADARE ASSOGBADJO, Benin Representative in the WASCAL Board; Prof. Daouda MAMA, Director of the National Water Institute; Prof. Abel A. AFOUDA, Former Director of WASCAL-UAC; Prof. Moussa BOUKARI; Prof. Lamine BABAMOUSSA, Director of Doctoral School Earth and Life Science;  Prof. Julien ADOUNKPE, Director of WASCAL-UAC, Prof. Emmanuel A. LAWIN, Deputy-Director; Dr Jean HOUNKPE, Scientific Coordinator; M. Charles AKONDE, IT; M. Salem ELEGBEDE, Accountant; Md. Imelda DJAGOUN, Secretary of WASCAL-UAC.

At the end of the meeting, a debriefing was done by the evaluation team which noted many satisfactory points and some ways of improvement for the two GRSP visited.

The expected results is to have an international recognition of the GSP curricula, so a labelization follow by recommendation to comply with International standards.