From September 23 until September 26, 2024, the EO4Africa Symposium took place, and NetCDA used this opportunity to present ongoing work to interested symposium attendees. The event was organised by the European Space Agency (ESA) in partnership with the African Union Commission, the African Association of Remote Sensing of the Environment, the European Commission, EUMETSAT, and NASA. The symposium was hosted at ESA-ESRIN in Frascati, Italy, and focused on the latest R&D EO science and applications achievements relevant for the African continent, facilitating international collaborations across Africa and Europe, and future EO missions, digital technology, and the related opportunities.
Alexandra Bell, project coordinator at the University of Würzburg, showcased the ongoing work and goals of NetCDA with a poster titled, “Climate change related capacity development in West Africa – an example of a German-West African cooperation“. Insightful discussions developed and new connections were made during the event to strengthen the growing network of research interested in capacity development in Africa.
Following is the abstract of her poster:
Climate change related capacity development in West Africa – an example of a German-West African cooperation
Alexandra Bell1, Michael Thiel1, Sarah Schönbrodt-Stitt1, Daouda Koné2, Stefan Dech1,3
1 University of Würzburg, Institute of Geography and Geology, Department of Remote Sensing, John Skilton Str. 4a, 97074 Würzburg, Germany;
2 West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, WASCAL CSIR Office Complex, Agostino Road, Airport Residential Area, PMB CT 504 Cantonments-Accra, Ghana;
3 German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD), German Aerospace Center (DLR), Münchner Strasse 20, D-82234 Wessling, Germany
In 2012, the West African Science Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), which is dedicated to capacity development and strengthening the research infrastructure related to climate change, launched its first Doctoral Training Programme (DRP) under their Graduate Schools Program (GSP). As one of the three main pillars of WASCAL, the GSP has developed into a remarkable success, partially owing to its strong international orientation and network with more than 450 graduates. All WASCAL GSPs established to date have a German partner institution for the scientific visits of students in Germany. The Department of Remote Sensing at the University of Würzburg, among other partner institutions in Germany, has been involved in the WASCAL initiative since its beginning. A main work component is the support of West African partners in the three pillars of research, training, and technical support in the discipline of remote sensing and geographical information systems. Another important focus is placed on the support in further expanding and advancing the network of West African and German partners. This study aims to present past and future work in the realm of this international cooperation. A special focus is placed on the BMBF-funded project “European Academic Network for Capacity Development in Climate Change Adaptations in Africa” (NetCDA). NetCDA aims to strengthen academic education on climate change adaptation strategies in Africa by consolidating the joint structures of the German-West African cooperation. The long-term vision of the project is to initiate a European-African network for climate change researchers interested in contributing to education in Africa. Milestones in reaching the vision will be discussed, and engagement opportunities will be presented.