There is no ‘one size fits all solution’ when it comes to environmental change but sharing experiences and ideas can help us get to solutions, or at least mitigations, quicker.
Prof Philip Antwi-Agyei, Director of the Office of Grants and Research at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana recently visited the ECI and met a number of researchers and students. He said:
The University of Oxford is a top-notch university with world class researchers. This visit offered me the opportunity to meet and network with other researchers with common research interests. This is crucial for future collaborations in finding solutions to some of the most pressing socioeconomic and environmental challenges confronting Ghana and West Africa more widely.”
During his week-long stay he gave a talk and also met Irene Tracey, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Oxford about future joint working. He added:
The visit also provided an opportunity to initiate a Memorandum of Understanding that will be beneficial for research collaborations for both the University of Oxford and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Additionally, the visit provided a platform for me to share findings from my research on climate change and rural livelihoods in Ghana. The learning experiences from these engagements will be critical for my research and professional career.”
As external examiner for one of the ECI’s DPhil students, Prof Antwi-Agyei also conducted the final examination and joined in the post-viva (spoken exam) celebrations.
Prof Antwi-Agyei was a Lead Author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5° C, and a Contributing Author on the Sixth Assessment Report of the IPCC.
He has consulted for leading international organisations including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP, Accra), the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Canada, and Ghana’s Environmental Protection Agency.
Prof Antwi-Agyei developed the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Framework for Ghana and the National Adaptation Strategy and Action Plan for the Infrastructure Sector (Water, Energy, and Transport Sectors). He was the Consultant for the adaptation component of Ghana’s Updated Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Climate Agreement.