The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology opens office in West Africa

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is delighted to announce that we have opened an office in West Africa, marking a significant step in our collaboration with communities in the region.

As a world-leading research institute, UKCEH advances the vital environmental science that governments, businesses, NGOs and researchers rely on to meet the great challenges of our time. The new office in Accra, Ghana, opened on 10 July 2024, with representatives from research organisations, government agencies and NGOs attending the launch.

Our long-term commitment

For more than 30 years, UKCEH scientists have collaborated with a range of partners in West Africa, such as environmental policymakers, meteorological services, water management authorities, universities and conservation organisations, to jointly address the major environmental challenges in the region.

Dr Stuart Wainwright, Chief Executive of UKCEH, says: “The opening of an office in West Africa demonstrates our long-term commitment to the region and its scientific communities, and we are excited about working more closely with our fantastic partners to tackle the major, complex environmental challenges that affect us all.”

Building partnerships for mutual benefit

UKCEH’s approach is to establish lasting equitable partnerships across the public and private sectors to produce impactful research and solutions that address major environmental challenges such as floods, biodiversity loss and pollution. Our scientists’ expertise is combined with local organisations’ understanding of the West African environments, exploring how systems work then jointly developing and delivering solutions to environmental challenges.

A track record of effective delivery

UKCEH has a track record of effective delivery, working with partners. Examples of our work in West Africa to date include:

• Collaborating with cocoa farmers in Ghana, we developed an innovative mobile app to support ongoing productivity, climate change adaptation and long-term resilience.
• We are working with collaborators to measure greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across different landscapes in Southeast Liberia, setting a baseline for future work to mitigate GHG emissions.
• Our research into Sahel storms is supporting the development of early warning systems and informing long-term climate adaptation planning, in partnership with meteorological services.

Our future programme of work

Examples of UKCEH’s forthcoming intended collaborations with partners in the region include:

• Working with scientists in West Africa to enhance monitoring of water resources, as well as improve flood and drought risk assessment and forecasting.
• Working with governments and environmental regulators to monitor metal pollution in watercourses, soil and food systems in mining areas.
• Collaborating with the Ghanaian Government and United Nations to jointly develop a programme that maps biodiversity across the country.

New partnerships

Coinciding with the opening of the West Africa office, UKCEH is pleased to announce two further partnerships, with the Ghana Hydrological Authority and the University of Cape Coast.

To find out more about UKCEH’s research in West Africa, visit www.ceh.ac.uk/west-africa-office

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Media enquiries

For interviews and further information, please contact Simon Williams, Media Relations Officer at UKCEH, via simwil@ceh.ac.uk or +44 (0)7920 295384.

Pictures of UKCEH at work in the region are available on request.

 

About the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

The UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) is a leading research institute employing over 500 of the world’s best environmental scientists. We exist to provide the vital environmental science that governments, businesses, NGOs, and researchers rely on to meet the great challenges of our time, contributing substantially to achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals.

www.ceh.ac.uk / @UK_CEH / LinkedIn:UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

 

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