The Dean of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Ghana, Prof Augustine Ocloo, has called for the involvement of governments across the world in ensuring that debates concerning challenges that face the oceans are properly addressed.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2023 Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Ghana and Nigeria, held at the University of Ghana, Prof. Ocloo emphasized the need for capacity building to be promoted in this regard.

“Over-fishing, pollution, habitat destruction, climate change, biodiversity laws, threaten the function of the ocean. The period 2021 to 2030 has been declared as the decade of ocean science for sustainable development…

“Ten challenges have been identified and governments around the world are expected to take appropriate actions to help address them. To address the ocean debate challenges, there is the need for capacity development to strengthen the roles of governments and institutions,” he said.

Prof Augustine Ocloo further called for the investment in ocean science and technology, observation, monitoring and data collection to improve understanding of the oceans among society.

In his address, the Director of COESSING, Prof Brian Arbic, spoke about the origins of the school, from all the way back in 1960.

“We’ve been running this summer school since 2015 and one thing I remember from when we came, is the Head of Department at the time, said to me, a lot of time, you Americans come here once and we never see you again. So, he was making a point that he wanted to see a sustained effort to show we were serious.

“So, we are serious and we’ve been coming here every year since. We held in-person summer schools from 2015 through 2019, a few online schools during the pandemic, and then last year, when we had the chance to go back in person, we went to Nigeria. So, now the plan is to alternate between Nigeria and Ghana,” he said, while expressing his joy in being able to go to Nigeria in 2022 for the school.

Prof Brian Arbic also said that the summer schools have become a great way of bringing people together, across various platforms.

Participants in the COESSING 2023, which started on August 14, through to August 18, includes students and faculty, government officials and private sector professionals from across Ghana and Nigeria, and some neighboring countries including Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Mali.

About COESSING

The Coastal Ocean Environment Summer School in Nigeria and Ghana is an international collaboration aimed at building capacity in oceanographic and environmental sciences in Ghana and Nigeria. A long-term goal of the school is to increase the presence of African scientists at international science meetings.

Summer schools have been held in-person in Ghana every year from 2015 to 2019, and have been held virtually, in response to COVID-19, in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, COESSING was held for the first time in Nigeria as a hybrid in-person/online event. Funding has been secured for a 2023 school in Ghana and a 2024 school in Nigeria. Pending successful funding efforts, we will continue to hold the summer schools far into the future.

We have built links with institutions in Ghana, Nigeria, and other African countries, and have incorporated research partnerships into the summer school, alongside lectures, labs, field trips, panels, and tutorials.



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AE