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FUTA WASCAL has developed West African Sub region


- Executive Director

The Executive Director of the West Africa Science Services Centre in Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), a training and capacity building Centre on climate related issues in West Africa, Dr Mumoni Savadego has commended FUTA WASCAL for taking the lead in providing manpower for the region. He stated this while paying a courtesy call on the management of FUTA to herald the International Advisory Board meeting of WASCAL hosted by FUTA. Represented by Professor Kone Daouda from Felix Houphouet Boigyn University, Ivory Coast, the Executive Director said “FUTA WASCAL is a major player in training and contributing to capacity building for our sub region. With the number of Doctoral graduates from your centre, you have added value to the sub region in service delivery. From Ivory Coast, three of the products of FUTA WASCAL are doing very well for our government in climate related matters, same for other countries too. This is a very encouraging thing to all of us. We are proud of you and encourage you to do more.”

Receiving the team, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Joseph Fuwape represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Development, Professor Philip Oguntunde said over the years WASCAL has acquired tremendous reputation as a large scale research focused climate service centre designed to help tackle the challenges of climate change that particularly threatens the sub region and thereby enhance the resilience of human and environmental systems to climate change and increased variability. This has been achieved by strengthening research institutions and by pooling the expertise of ten West African countries (of which Nigeria is a partner) and Germany to tackle challenges of climate and its vagaries. Praising FUTA WASCAL for churning out experts in the field of weather, he said “it is heartwarming to note that almost all meteorologists in the region are products of FUTA and are excelling in their chosen field as solution providers on climate change.”

Professor Fuwape commended the funding partner, Germany, for supporting the Centres in different West African countries. He said “I commend the funding country, Germany for supporting the Centres over the years and call on partner countries and institutions to develop sustainable framework to generate fund so as to complement the effort from Germany.”

Speaking earlier, the Director, FUTA WASCAL, Professor Kehinde Ogunjobi said the main essence of the meeting was for the Board, the highest policy making body of the Centre, to review the curriculum of the programme for necessary amendments. He said the Centre in FUTA is not relenting in producing experts from different countries in West Africa in addition to the nineteen (19) who have graduated with Doctorate. He said FUTA in agreement with WASCAL has been chosen to be a vocational center for training in meteorology within the sub region.  

Members of the Board led to the management by Professor Ogunjobi include Professor Kone Daouda (representing WASCAL headquarters), Professor Arne Kortzinger (German partner), Professor Fabien Hountondji (Director, DPR WWRC, Benin Republic), Dr. Moussa Diakhate (Senegal), Professor Peter Odjugo (NIMET, Abuja), Mrs Iniobong Abiola-Awe (representing Ministry of Environment) Professor Jerome Omotoso, Dr. Vincent Ajayi and Dr. Ife Balogun. The team was received by the following members of the university management: Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Development), Professor Philip Oguntunde, Deputy Vice Chancellor, (Academic), Professor Olatunde Arayela, the Registrar, Mr Richard Arifalo, the Bursar, Mr. Emmanuel Oresegun, Chairman Committee of Deans and Dean, School of Sciences, Professor Kolade Koriko and Dean, Students’ Affairs, Professor Gbenga Onibi.