Combatting climate change - a new Masters Course in Cabo Verde

Project

Helping to implement a WASCAL master research program "Climate change and Marine Sciences" at Mindelo / Cabo Verde

Climate change poses a significant challenge to African societies within the next decades. Direct effects such as droughts and water shortages will be amplified through increased economic and population growth. To combat climate change effects and maintain the livelihoods of the peoples is thus the major aim of WASCAL. Marine resources will play a significant role in the future supply of protein for human nutrition in West Africa.

Background and Objective

The "West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use" (WASCAL) consists of a collaboration of numerous African research institutes supported by German partner institutes and the German Ministry of Science and Education (BMBF). The competence centre is distributed across 12 West African universities in the different WASCAL member states, of which the marine section is hosted by the University of Cabo Verde, Mindelo. The WASCAL competence centre comprises 3 areas of activities: the research programme, the provision of climate related information services and capacity devlopment. The 'Climate Change and Marine Sciences' masters course belongs to the latter and is open to students from all WASCAL member states.