The West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL) a large-scale research organisation focused on Climate Service is working towards providing services to enhance resilience to climate change in Africa

WASCAL in partnership with the German Climate Service Centre (GERICS) has started a project dubbed: Customised and Integrated Climate and Environmental Services for improved resilience and sustainable socio-economic development in West Africa (CICLES)

Prof. Kehinde Ogunjobi, WASCAL Interim Executive Director at a News conference said the main goal of CICLES was to promote climate change resilience, sustainable development, and improving livelihoods in West Africa.

He said the project would also strengthen risk-prone nations' adaptive capacity and resilience to global warming and climate change through the co-development of an end-to-end climate and environmental services.

The project is a 36-month project which started in August 2023.

Prof. Ogunjobi said, ahead of the News conference, stakeholders from different West African countries and abroad, private sectors, NGOs, and government agencies met to discuss and investigate what the user needs and standards were, the challenges ahead, where the gaps lie, and how WASCAL and GERICS sought to bring their own solutions in solving the climate change issues.

A WASCAL science symposium, a policy dialogue workshop, policy briefs, issuing of annual bulletins, a climate factsheet, and a fundraising event to sustain the project are some of the activities that would be undertaken as part of the project.

Mr. Torsten Weber Representative of the German Climate Service Centre (GERICS) expressed hope that there would be a self-reliant climate and environmental services in West Africa because of the project. Source:Ghana News Agency