DECCMA Project Launched

Group picture of participants at the launch and inception workshop

The DEltas, vulnerability and Climate Change: Migration and Adaptation (DECCMA) project was launched on Tuesday 6th May 2014 under the chairmanship of the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana. The project is a consortium of five institutions from Africa, Asia and Europe. The project, which is researching into deltas in these regions, is jointly funded by IDRC and DFID. 

In a welcome address, the Principal Investigator (PI) and Director of the Regional Institute for Population Studies (RIPS), Prof. Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe said the project, which is looking at migration as an adaptation option, will provide policy directions to the government and facilitate collaboration between University of Ghana and the other consortium members. According to the PI, DECCMA is the 5th climate change project RIPS is undertaking.

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Prof. Samuel Nii Ardey Codjoe

The Vice Chancellor, in a speech read on his behalf by Prof. Patrick Ofori-Danson, identified climate change as one of the four research clusters in the University of Ghana. As a result, a trans-disciplinary research group has been constituted on climate change with focus on four key areas. These include climate change and health; climate change and water resources; climate change and society; and climate change innovation with emphasis on green economy. He mentioned that activities of the research group are expected to compliment the ongoing climate change research at various units at the University of Ghana.

The Canadian High Commissioner, in a goodwill message read on his behalf by the Dr. Gopaul-Saikali said Canada is highly concerned with the impacts of climate change in developing countries. Canada is a signatory to the United Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and has committed about $1.2 billion for the 2010/2011 to 2012/2013 fiscal years. She said Canada is taking action based on science and research to respond to the impacts of climate change particularly, in vulnerable communities.

In addition, Canada, she mentioned, is ready to work with Ghana and other African and Asia countries to help them achieve their green house gas emission reduction. She stated that the Canadian assistance budget is aimed at improving development and are targeted at three priority themes. These include food security, securing the future of children and generating sustainable economic growth. Hence Canada welcomes this new collaboration with DFID on the DECCMA project.

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Dr. Gopaul-Saikali

The Deputy PI of the project, Dr. Kwasi Appeaning Addo of the Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, University of Ghana, gave a brief presentation on the focus of the project, the methodology and the various actors and institutions involved. He identified migration as a major issue within deltaic regions and the need for climate change to be analysed in this dynamic context.

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Dr. Kwasi Appeaning Addo

In launching the project, the Deputy Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation identified the Volta delta as highly vulnerable to climate change due to its topography. She mentioned issues of flooding and coastal erosion as major threat to agricultural production. She said one of the key pillars of the current government is to put people first and hence promised government’s full support for the DECCMA project. She called on all to enhance Ghana’s current and future development by strengthening its adaptive capacity to climate change impacts and building the resilience for the society and ecosystems.

The Master of ceremony for the programme was the Ghana DECCMA project coordinator, Dr. Cynthia Addoquaye Tagoe from ISSER.