University of Ghana Climate Change Resource Centre launched

By Belinda Ayamgha, GNA
Accra, July 20, GNA - The University of Ghana has launched its Climate Change Resource Centre to coincide with the opening of the 5th Climate Change and Population Conference on Africa, in Accra.

The Centre's mission is to support governments, institutions and local communities in the areas of natural resources governance, improvement in environmental quality, livelihoods and sustainable development.

Launching the Centre, Nana Kyeretwie-Osie, Policy Officer-Directorate of Citizens and Diaspora Organisations of the African Union Commission, said it seeks to enhance awareness of climate change in line with the African Union Agenda 2063.

Nana Kyeretwie-Osei said the centre would be beneficial in bridging the gap between industry and academia in climate change adaptation towards the AU Agenda as well as other international agreements on climate change.

'The AU is always keen to identify and partner with key regional institutions including Universities like this one to actualise the aspirations enshrined in its Agenda 2063,' he stated.

The centre, he noted was founded in 2011 as an output of an IDRC funded project 'Climate Change Adaptation Research and Training Capacity for Development' and represents a convergence of policy and industry that would help the Climate Change Working Group and other units in the University to go beyond academic output to engaging people, society and governments and vice versa.

Professor Ernest Aryeetey, Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, said the conference is important to the University as it is transitioning to a one that is research focused.

He said aside the changing leadership of the University is changing its key focus from one that had served a great purpose of training undergraduates in different disciplines for the country more than the last 60 years to a research intensive one.

'It stands to reason that a university anxious to be seen as progressive will find something different to do and in the world of universities, you move more intensely into research; that's the natural progression for universities,' he stated.

The transition, Prof Aryeetey noted is reflected in the increased amount of money spent on research, push given to academics, changing composition of student body and the way resources are attracted into the university.

'We are on our way to becoming a research-intensive university and it's good for us and it is good for our country,' he said.

He explained that that the University would be able to provide the answers to questions relevant to the transformation agenda to allow policy makers to make the right decisions.

The 5th Climate Change and Population Conference on Africa is being organised by the Regional Institute for Population Studies of the University of Ghana, and the IDRC of Canada.

GNA