ACPC to host Africa's Climate Research Secretariat

Marrakech, Morocco 8 October 2014 (ClimDeV) – Members of the Climate Research for Development (CR4D) initiative who began meeting in Morocco Monday last night agreed a research collaboration platform on climate science on the continent and decided to set up a temporary secretariat that will be hosted by the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), according to participants.

They also decided to harmonise proposals tabled by ClimDev-Africa and those of the secretariat of the African Ministerial Council on Meteorology (AMCOMET) dealing on the creation of an advisory group which will lead the generation of scientific content by the new initiative.

The immediate task of the secretariat would be to develop an election mechanism for the selection of members of the scientific committee.

Participants moved to thank Dr. Fatima Denton, Director of the Special Initiatives Division at the UN Economic Commission for Africa for providing resources, space and time to structure the initiative since its first meeting which took place in Arusha, Tanzania last year.

They urged her to ensure that the conclusion of the Marrakech meeting as well as the establishment of a research collaboration platform on climate science in Africa are announced at the Fourth Annual Conference on Climate Change and Development in Africa (CCDA-IV) which opens Marrakech, Morocco today.

Opening the meeting on Monday, Ms Denton called on participants to conscientiously promote what she called “utilitarian science” that would help Africa to take its full place on the world’s development train.

“This laudable initiative should aim at science that gives the power to the people; science that would allow the sahelian farmers to make strategic choices; science that will strengthen the productive capabilities of research institutions in Africa; and science that enables Africa to rise above current challenges… she insisted.

She revealed that under the auspices of ClimDev-Africa programme, the African Climate Policy Centre is initiating a -1 Million Dollar capacity building programme to support the training of young African scientists in all areas of climate change and development.

It would be recalled that for two days, participants reviewed priority activities identified at the Arusha Conference, sought new ways to advance climate science research frontiers in Africa-priorities, based on societal needs and identified climate research needs for policy and development in Africa.

At the closing session of the meeting last night Ms Denton again took the opportunity fired up African climate researchers and scientists in general to engage in research whose results improve lives.

The meeting was held under the aegis of the World Meteorological Organisation and ECA/Africa Climate Policy Centre “to devise an institutional platform for linking African climate science research and knowledge to inform adaptation decision-making in Africa.

Both the CR4D and CCDA–IV come in the wake of ever-increasing damaging predictions on climate risks for Africa by a recent UN-sponsored report which warns that although “African farmers have developed several adaptation options to cope with current climate variability, such adaptations may not be sufficient for future changes of climate.”