With support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and African Union, the Africa Network of Agriculture Policy Research Institute (ANAPRI) and ACADEMIA (Michigan State University) partnered and held a Comprehensive Climate Change Initiative (CACCI)-Ghana Outreach Pilot programme yesterday in Ghana. The CACCI-Ghana Pilot event was aimed at supporting the implementation of Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC’s) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in Africa under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Speaking during opening remarks, Professor Peter Coti who is the Director of International Schools Association (ISA) said CACCI-Ghana pilot programme would lead to development and implementation of a detailed free concept National CACCI Policy Investment Plan based on the available evidence which would drive the adoption of practices throughout the agricultural value chain towards reducing greenhouse emissions, while promoting sustainable, resilient and more productive approaches that can foster food security and inclusive growth.
Meanwhile, ANAPRI’s Executive Director Dr. Nalishebo Membeelo said that in addition to CACCI’s mandate of generating a proof of concept and collecting feedback and onset from implementers, stakeholders and partners towards strengthening CACCI’s evaluability as a prototype for Africa and the globe, the event was also an opportunity to foster a spirit of networking and collaboration. She said that Climate change had a lot of thematic areas that needed the involvement of different stakeholders.
Additionally, ANAPRI’s Technical Chairperson and indaba Agricultural Policy Research Institute (IAPRI)’s Research and Innovation Director Dr. Antony Chapoto highlighted the objectives of the CACCI-Ghana programme which were; to clarify ambitions and set policy agendas, to strengthen human and institutional capacity, and to strengthen implementation of the NDCs and NAPs in Africa.
Dr. Brian Mulenga, a senior research fellow at IAPRI gave an overview of how CACCI was being implemented in Zambia. He mentioned that CACCI was being implemented through the anchor institutes ANAPRI and IAPRI which have made very good strides in collaborating with the government, particularly the Ministry of Green Economy and Environment (MGEE). He said IAPRI signed a Memorandum of Understanding with MGEE which goes beyond CACCI activities and those included, collaboration, research, data sharing, resource mobilization and capacity building. In addition, a technical working group for CACCI was formed which comprised of personnel from IAPRI and MGEE and the Vice President happened to be the council chairperson. Dr. Mulenga stood in for Mr. Kasanda Bunda who was supposed to be a panelist on the round table discussion.
