The Department of Geography and Regional Planning of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) has launched the Ghana Climate University Network.

The programme addresses the critical issues surrounding climate change while fostering entrepreneurship and providing valuable internship opportunities for participants.

It is a collaboration between the Department and the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Small Enterprise Development (CESED) at UCC.

Speaking at the Launch, the Head of the Department of Geography and Regional Planning, Prof. Benjamin Kofi Nyarko, said the Department had secured €800,000  from the European Union to embark on a two-year project to find local solutions to climate challenges.

He said six students from UCC would be trained and supported with € 26,000  to enhance their entrepreneurial skills.

Head of the Department of Geography and Regional Planning, Prof. Benjamin Kofi Nyarko

Additionally, Prof. Nyarko indicated that a section of students would undergo internship training at climate-friendly institutions in Ghana and would be supported with stipends.

As part of the programme, the Head of the Department announced the Department would run short courses on drone operation, environmental sustainability, disaster management, climate change and precision agriculture.

According to him, the programme would be supported by the University of Eastern Finland, the University of Copenhagen and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and fully funded by the European Union.

For his part, the Provost of the College of Education Studies, Prof. Ernest Kofi Davis, who launched the project,  said the project would be of immense benefit to students and faculty of the University.

He praised the Department for partnering with CESED to embark on the two-year project.

Director of CESED, Prof. Mavis Serwah Benneh Mensah

The Director of CESED, Prof. Mavis Serwah Benneh Mensah, in her remarks, expressed gratitude to the Department of Geography and Regional Planning and stressed that her outfit was ready to equip students with the requisite entrepreneurial skills.

Source: Documentation and Information Section-UCC