24th July, 2026
By Peace Ahovi
WASCAL has successfully concluded a series of final validation and exit workshops for the DecLaRe, COINS, and INTERFACES regional projects in Tamale, Ghana, reinforcing the organisation’s commitment to advancing evidence-based climate action, knowledge exchange, and sustainable land management solutions across West Africa.
The workshops brought together the Participatory Learning Platform and other key stakeholders, including farmers, agricultural extension officers, policymakers, traditional leaders, civil society organisations, development practitioners, women and minority groups, to validate research findings. The programme also included field visits to project communities in Mion, Tolon, and Savelugu to engage beneficiaries, observe the practical application of project innovations, assess the adoption of project innovations, and discuss strategies for sustaining project outcomes beyond their completion in September/October 2026, as well as define pathways to sustain innovations beyond the projects’ implementation period.
Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR), the three regional projects have been implemented since 2023 in northern Ghana, northern Benin, and Senegal, generating scientific evidence and practical solutions to strengthen sustainable land management and climate resilience.
As part of WASCAL’s responsibility in disseminating research outcomes, Dr. David Anaafo of WASCAL played a key role in coordinating and facilitating the validation and exit processes. During the INTERFACES workshop, Dr. Anaafo presented an overview of the project’s interventions and contributions to strengthening collaboration among stakeholders within Ghana’s sustainable land management ecosystem.
The engagement included the DecLaRe dissemination workshop, the COINS validation activities, and community field visits in Mion, Tolon, and Savelugu, followed by a two-day INTERFACES validation and exit workshop hosted at the University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale Campus.
The INTERFACES workshop focused on validating the evaluation results of the Ghana Participatory Learning Platform and discussing strategies to sustain the partnerships, learning processes, and innovations developed during the project. Discussions highlighted the Platform’s role in connecting scientific research with farmers’ experiences, local knowledge, policy perspectives, and community priorities.
Participants emphasised the need to maintain and strengthen the Participatory Learning Platform by promoting collaboration among research institutions, policymakers, extension services, farmer organisations, and traditional authorities. Recommendations included translating research findings into practical policy and extension materials, supporting farmer-to-farmer learning, documenting lessons, and scaling innovations such as fertiliser microdosing through locally grounded evidence.
The workshops demonstrated the importance of inclusive approaches that recognise farmers and local communities as active partners in generating and applying knowledge. The outcomes will contribute to an assessment report on the role of participatory learning platforms in implementation research projects.
Through these engagements, WASCAL continues to strengthen partnerships that bridge science, policy, and practice, supporting resilient livelihoods and sustainable land management across Africa.
