By KELECHUKWU IRUOMA

IN a bid to strengthen the capacity of African Universities in research and training, the Africa Climate Change Adaptation Initiative, ACCAI, has instituted an Alumni Grant Program, designed to provide opportunities for the alumni of the ACCAI partner universities, to deepen their expertise and knowledge in the field of adaptation to climate exchange and food security.

ACCAI which uses its platform to form a network of experts capable of producing reliable and useful information to feed policies and pan-African initiatives to adapt to climate change, instituted the Alumni Grant Program to use the knowledge and expertise in practise through hands- on projects in close collaboration with local communities and civil society.

Also, through the ACCAI AGP, the alumni will have the possibility to share the knowledge and scientific findings with civil society and local communities. ACCAI intends to use the program for mutual interchang, partnership and alliances between communities and universities, which can be enormously effective and yield to important benefits for all involved.

The approach which is inter-disciplinary and closely tied to the needs of civil society and policy-makers in Africa will be benefitted by University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Makelle University, Ethiopia, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, University of Ghana, Ghana, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa and University of Stellenbosch, South Africa.

The ACCAI AGP will therefore aim at opening channels to partnerships between the civil society, local communities and the universities, raising awareness of food security issues in the content of climate change, and disseminating local knowledge and community adaptation strategies.

Higher education support programme

The ACCAI AGP which is an international higher education support program will also offer individuals grants to alumni of ACCAI Network universities for implementing projects targeting adaptation to climate change and food security issues, establishing a partnership with members and leaders of local urban and rural communities to create dialogue and strengthen collaboration with these communities and with local civil society in an effort to reduce vulnerability to climate change and to food insecurity.