WACWISA-UDS Graduates 23 Students from Seven African Countries

Tamale, Ghana – The West African Centre for Water, Irrigation and Sustainable Agriculture (WACWISA) at the University for Development Studies (UDS) celebrated the graduation of 23 students from seven African countries during the university’s 24th congregation in Tamale. This diverse group of graduates, including two PhD and 21 Master’s Degree students, represents a significant achievement for the Centre and the University.

According to Ghana News Agency, The graduates hail from Benin, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda. The graduation ceremony was attended by several dignitaries, including Professor Ahmed Abdulai Jinapor, Acting Director-General of the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission (GTEC), Mr. Rurangwa Theophile, Deputy High Commissioner of Rwanda to Ghana, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, and Mr. Yidana Zakaria, North East Regional Minister.

Professor Felix Kofi Abagale, Director of WACWISA-UDS, shared his excitement and pride in working with the graduates and supporting human capacity development in the region. Post-ceremony, he encouraged the graduates to continue their efforts in innovation and research, especially in areas crucial to Africa’s progress like agriculture, climate change, food security, and development.

Professor Abagale extended gratitude to the staff of WACWISA, university stakeholders, funding agencies, partners, and collaborators. Notable mentions included the Government of Ghana, World Bank, Association of African Universities, GTEC, Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, UNIDO, EU, GIZ, IRD/AFD, JICA, and others. Their support has been instrumental in the Centre’s success and growth.

Established in 2019 with funding from the World Bank and the Government of Ghana, WACWISA operates as a semi-autonomous Centre of Excellence within UDS. It focuses on cutting-edge research and training in key areas like irrigation, drainage, water resources management, sustainable agriculture, climate change, and food and nutrition security.

With its motto ‘Building Capacities for Sustainable Solutions’, WACWISA has provided scholarships to over 100 scholars for Master’s and PhD studies and trained more than 500 individuals through short courses. The Centre also facilitates access to modern laboratory and field research facilities, supporting high-level research in its thematic areas.