The African Climate Change Adaptation Initaitive (ACCAI) partners met recently at the Center for African Wetlands (CAW), University of Ghana to discuss progress on various climate change projects across the continent.
The meeting was hosted by the Builing Capacity for Climate Change Challenge (B4C), an innitiative between the University of Ghana, Center of African wetlands and Ghana Wildlife Society and sponsored by the Open Society Foundations (OSF). The director of B4C, Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu welcomed participants from the various ACCAI partner universities. The partner universities include the University of Ghana, University of Dar Es Salaam, Makelle University, University of Witswatersrand, Stellenbosch University and University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Climate change is a global challenge and particularly for Africa due to the overdependence on climate-sensitive sectors, such as hydropower generation, agriculture, fisheries and wildlife resources. It is against this backdrop that the ACCAI and B4C initiatives seek to tackle climate change issues through building institutional capacities to improve the continent’s ability to adapt to climate developments by training climate science professionals.
Prof. Youba Sokona, director of the African Climate Policy Center who chaired the partners’ discussion brought the group up to date with the overall progress of the initiative with particular highlights on common areas for collaboration among partners. The representative from the ACCAI reference group, Prof. Colleen Vogel said that the group would like to see more collaboration between the physical and social sciences on various projects.
Later, a seminar on the theme ‘charting a way forward on climate change and food security’ was chaired by Prof. John Gyapong, Pro-Vice–Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Development (ORID) at the University of Ghana. A number of presentations were made by the partners on interesting findings from specific areas of study. Dr. Naalamle Amissah a B4C fellow presented findings on climate change and vanishing indigenous food crops. At the close of the programme Prof. Gyapong stressed on the need for an effective bridge between the research findings and public education in order to prepare communities to adapt to the impending changes