The School of Engineering at the University for Development Studies (UDS) has organized a one-day capacity-building workshop for journalists in Tamale to promote accurate, responsible, and insightful reporting on waste management issues.
The workshop is being implemented under the Circular Economy in Western Africa (WARM) Project.
The workshop brought together journalists, engineers, and waste management experts to deepen media understanding of solid waste management, particularly in urban areas.
Speaking at the event, the Dean of the School of Engineering at UDS, Professor Maxwell Anim-Gyampo, said the initiative seeks to address limited human resource capacity in Africa’s waste management sector.
According to him, the WARM Project focuses on modernizing, internationalizing, and improving access to higher education in solid waste management and the circular economy, while aligning academic programmes with regional policy and labour market needs.
He explained that preliminary studies conducted under the project revealed a significant shortage of expertise in waste management, especially across Africa.
The project, he added, is currently being implemented in Europe and three African countries.
“The WARM Project seeks to address the challenges of limited human resource capacity in Africa by working to modernize, internationalize, and enhance accessibility to higher education in solid waste management and the circular economy.
To achieve this, surveys were conducted to assess existing academic programmes in solid waste management and also to understand the needs of the labour market within the waste management industry.”
The workshop also serves as a platform for engineers and waste management experts to engage journalists regularly, enabling them to share research findings and development-oriented knowledge in ways that can be effectively communicated to the public.
“This workshop is to create a platform for us to disseminate findings from a survey we conducted on the waste management sector in Ghana—looking at the programmes being run at the tertiary level and how waste is managed in our communities, workplaces, and industries.
Ghana is trying, but there is still a lot more to be done. We need to invest more in both human resources and technology.”
Participants expressed optimism that the workshop will strengthen collaboration between the media and technical experts, leading to improved public awareness and more informed discussions on waste management in Ghana.
Source:Fiilafmonline/Walkiyatu Issahaku
