Kumasi: The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) is spearheading the integration of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) and Climate Information Services (CIS) into university curricula.
According to Ghana News Agency, a three-day training workshop was organized focusing on Disaster Risk Management in Crop Production, Livestock and Aquaculture, and Pest and Disease Management in Crop, Fish, and Livestock Production. The workshop aimed to bridge the gap between research and teaching, incorporating these modules into existing courses to foster professionals capable of driving sustainable agricultural transformation in Ghana and across Africa.
The event, organized by WASCAL in collaboration with the Regional Universities Forum for Capacity Building in Agriculture (RUFORUM) and supported by the Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) initiative, brought together lecturers and deans from various West African universities. Participants, including WASCAL alumni and KNUST faculty, were tasked with creating roadmaps for integrating climate-smart agriculture into higher education across the region.
Professor Mrs. Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice-Chancellor of KNUST, emphasized the urgency of the initiative, highlighting climate change as a 'borderless crisis' requiring coordinated solutions. She pointed out Africa's vulnerability due to its dependence on natural resources and limited adaptive capacity, and pledged that KNUST would monitor outcomes and explore ways to incorporate the new modules into existing curricula.
Professor Wilson Agyei Agyare, Director of the WASCAL Climate Change and Land Use programme at KNUST, stated that the initiative aims to build a comprehensive climate-smart toolkit for higher education. Dr. Alcade Segnon, AICCRA's Science Officer for West Africa, noted that the training would empower institutions to adapt academic offerings to reflect climate realities. Professor Daouda Kone, Director of Capacity Building at WASCAL, mentioned that the training is part of a broader programme and that complementary materials will be available on RUFORUM's online platform to support long-term access and impact.
