cameroon
The West Africa Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adaptive Land Use, a regional organization that provides services focused on capacity building and research in the fight against climate change, will share its work and how it will strengthen resilience to climate change. We introduced the impact it has. West Africa – At COP29, the 29th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
WASCAL presented at two side events of COP29 on November 16th and 17th. Dr. Kwame Oppong-Hackman, Senior Researcher at WASCAL, spoke in a video exchange about the launch of the West Africa Survey Report on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of West African governments. NDCs are commitments countries make to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.
“West African scientists provided information and helped draft elements of the first global stocktake (assessing how countries are progressing towards the goals of the Paris Agreement) and the next Participate in technical dialogue to ensure that The voices of West African scientists are being heard and brought to the fore as far as this important global challenge under the Paris Agreement is concerned. “There are,” Hackman said.
He said the research was carried out by young African scientists who were involved in research on NDCs in Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member states.
“Young scientists will be asked to compare their NDCs with the results of the first global inventory, see where the gaps are and where governments need to improve their ambitions to improve their NDCs. We looked at where it was,” Hackman explained.
WASCAL officials said the research project was developed using a bottom-up approach with extensive engagement at the community level.
What is its scientific contribution?
Professor Kehinde Ogunjobi, Deputy Director and Research Director of WASCAL, told local news outlets: From there, we went to the lab to run simulations and produce practical results. These results are now being shared with end-users to drive national development plans, including NDC. ”
ECOWAS is a West African economic group of 15 member countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde or Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. And Togo.
In a second side event, WASCAL released another report on the agency’s ambitious action plan, called the WASCAL Research Action Plan (WRAP 2.0).
WRAP 2.0 specifically aims to develop and implement demand-driven research towards development-oriented outcomes prioritized by WASCAL member countries and establish WASCAL as West Africa’s front-line climate services center. It also generates sound, evidence-based knowledge and information, devises tools including software to support decision-making, and develops climate and environmental risk management, building resilient socio-ecological landscapes. It also aims to provide policy information and support. The report states that achieving sustainable agricultural production and food security.
ability development
In a separate report before COP29, WASCAL highlighted the importance of research and capacity building to address Africa’s climate resilience.
According to Professor Kehinde Ogunjobi, Deputy Director of WASCAL and Director of Research at the WASCAL Center in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, research and capacity building will play an important role in increasing Africa’s resilience to climate change. Therefore, the need for African countries is increasing. This subregion funds research and helps citizens better meet the challenges of climate change.
“Our country must continue to fund research and build capacity. For example, WASCAL We have a capacity building institute in The Gambia where we are working on climate change education. We also need to build the capacity of the public to understand this impact before they go to the end users and educate them. We must take responsibility for the environment. We cannot continue to pollute and degrade forests and mismanage water resources,” he was quoted as saying in a local news report. It is being
The approximately EUR 3.5 million (approximately USD 3.7 million) WRAP 2.0 Action Plan project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, will transform scientific research into practices that benefit local communities and reduce the impact of extreme weather events such as flooding. The focus is on converting to a service that , drought, and heatwaves, the report found.
WASCAL says a focus on capacity building at the university level is key to driving solution-oriented research.
Mr Ogunjobi highlighted the capacity building aspect of WRAP 2.0 which facilitated the training of a large number of PhD and Masters students.
In fact, over the past 13 years, WASCAL has provided full scholarships to more than 500 young West African scientists at master’s and doctoral levels to conduct cutting-edge research on climate change and land use, and to engage policy makers, stakeholders, and We have provided unique climate services to stakeholders and local residents. According to another report, the community.
WASCAL’s work is also deeply aligned with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 13, which focuses on combating climate change, said a report on WASCAL’s Facebook page.
climate education
“Beyond science, it is important to equip people with the skills to understand climate impacts. WASCAL runs a climate education center in Gambia where future leaders can effectively engage with local communities. We are trained to be involved,” Ogunjobi said.
Cameroonian climate experts say acquiring new knowledge to establish reliable databases, weather monitoring and technological innovations are important skills to be passed on to Africa’s next generation of new researchers.
Patrick Folgabu Mbomba, Deputy Director of Cameroon’s National Observatory of Climate Change (NOCC), said: “Professional skills, especially in climate data collection, are paramount to ensuring the success of climate change resilience in Africa.” he told University World News.
West African scientists say their participation in COP29 is about improving knowledge and building partnerships to better contribute to the fight against climate change.
“WASCAL’s participation in COP29 will further strengthen its partnerships with international organizations and stakeholders, contribute its expertise to cutting-edge climate research and innovation, increase opportunities for collaboration and knowledge sharing, and strengthen West African science The aim is to increase capacity development and training opportunities for people,” said WASCAL Secretary-General, Professor Emmanuel Wendsongre-Lamde, in a statement ahead of COP29.
