A four (4) member Team from African Centres of Excellence of West African Centre for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture of the University for Development Studies (WACWISA-UDS) and Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre Kumasi (RWESCK) from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana have undertaken a five (5) day visit to Centre of Excellence in Logistics and Transport (CEALT) of the University of Djibouti as part of activities towards a cooperation in agriculture and water among the three (3) African Centres of Excellence. The visit that took place between January 21 to 25, 2024 was based on an invitation of the President of University of Djibouti and facilitated by the leadership and management of CEALT of the University of Djibouti. The visit aimed at engaging and assessing the needs of stakeholders in the water, sanitation and agriculture leading to capacity building within these sectors.
The Ghanaian Team comprised Prof. Felix K. Abagale, Dr. Thomas Apusiga Adongo, of WACWISA-UDS, Tamale; and Prof. Richard Buamah and Prof. Geophrey Kwame Anornu of RWESCK of KNUST, Kumasi. After meeting and welcoming pleasantries by CEALT Team, led by Dr. Souleiman Omar Hoch, the delegation paid a courtesy call on the President of the University of Djibouti, Pr. Djama Mohamed Hassan. Discussions were centered on academic partnerships in the areas of agriculture, water resources development, water treatment, amongst others.
The Team also met with several stakeholders from industry and undertook relevant field visits to solicit relevant information to enhance activities leading to the partnership. Institutions visited include Centre for Studies and Research of Djibouti (CERD),Djibouti National Office for Water and Sanitation (ONEAD),Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, National Meteorological Agency and Faculty of University of Djibouti in Sciences and Engineering. Discussions with the stakeholders indicated that, the water sector in Djibouti needs individuals with expertise at the Masters and PhD levels to drive education and research. Tailor-made technical refresher trainings were also necessary to boost the skills and capacity of practicing technicians.
The team agreed on the development and roll-out of study programs at the Bachelor, Masters and PhD levels especially in the areas of Agricultural Science and Technology; Integrated Water Resources Engineering & Management; Irrigation Science and Engineering; Water Supply and Treatment Technology and Water Supply and Environmental Sanitation.The Team concluded the visit with an agreement for the leadership of the three (3) institutions to sign a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding to kick-start activities.
 member Team from African Centres of Excellence of West African Centre for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture of the University for Development Studies (WACWISA-UDS) and Regional Water and Environmental Sanitation Centre Kumasi (RWESCK) from Kwame Nkrumah University…){kind=link}