A professor of agricultural economics and former Vice-Chancellor, Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo in Ebonyi State, Chinedum Nwajiuba has been elected as the Chair of the Board, West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL).
WASCAL is a large-scale research-focused and capacity building climate service centre designed to help tackle the climate change challenge by enhancing the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increased variability. This is made possible through the strengthening of the research infrastructure and capacity in West Africa related to climate change and by pooling the expertise of eleven West African countries.
The centre is majorly funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). It is a leading academic and trans-disciplinary organisation building graduate-level scientific capacity and serving policy makers in West Africa with science-based advice on climate change adaptation and land use management, WASCAL cooperates with many agencies and universities in Germany and in the region, to provide a knowledge platform of excellence for its partners.
The German government, under the leadership of BMBF, took the initiative to create WASCAL and to give it a running start by linking it with the German climate competence. The vision is that in a decade, the ECOWAS community will possess a vibrant Climate Service Centre with highly competent partners in the member countries that jointly can address the complex questions raised by climate change.
WASCAL has a strong commitment to help educate the next generation of scientists to attain an in- depth knowledge of different climate related issues in order to help the region develop suitable management strategies.
Nigeria is among member countries. Others include Ghana, Gambia, Niger, Burkina Faso, Togo, Cabo Verde, Benin, and Côte d’Ivoire.
