Increased temperatures and longer periods between rains driven by climate change are expected to continue exacerbating water supply issues in Berekuso, the peri urban locale where our university, Ashesi, is situated. Ashesi implemented a water restriction and drought action plan, which includes: water catchment systems, high-efficiency washing machines in hostel laundry facilities, low-flow shower heads and toilets, limiting water usage, and an emergency action plan. (SDG 13 Indicator 13.2)
Ashesi was invited to be a member of the U7+ initiative and at the inaugural summit of the U7+ in Paris, Ashesi committed to creating courses available to all students related to climate, biodiversity, and sustainability. It will prepare them to address the key challenges and mitigation strategies regarding the earth and mainstreaming the information in core courses (SDG 13 Indicator 13.3). In fulfilling our commitment, we have hired a climate scientist who has begun the embedding process.
As part of our divestment policy, in conjunction with Ashesi’s institute of climate action, the Ghana Climate Innovation Center (GCIC), Ashesi faculty, and students whose research interests are in climate change conduct research on climate economics, climate and gender, and climate and entrepreneurship, to name a few, to pursue opportunities for generating new knowledge that will help society adapt to climate disruption.
Additionally, Ashesi's GCIC Business Incubation Program supports transformative entrepreneurs with innovative solutions and businesses that aid in mitigating or adapting to climate change (13.b). Incubatees implementing climate adaptation solutions to agriculture will improve production and increase the resiliency of small farmers to climate change. El Balicon Limited is a vegetable farm enclave in Wa, in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The vegetable Farm enclave is a mechanised drip, shower, or mist and furrow irrigation system with an Antor 17 HP diesel water pump and a 1.5 HP Shakti solar pump near the Black Volta River. It was created to address the lack of access to water on farmland for all-year-round production to further address the persistent shortage and non-availability of fresh vegetables on the Ghanaian market. Sesi Technologies develops affordable technologies to help African farmers and agribusinesses increase productivity and reduce losses. GrainMate, a product of Sesi Technologies, is an affordable grain moisture meter that helps farmers accurately measure the moisture content in their grains to help them prevent post-harvest losses. Compared to commercial moisture meters on the market, which retail at about GHS 2000 locally, GrainMate is three times more affordable, retailing at only Ghc500.
Alumna Audrey S. Darko ‘19 founded Sabon Sake, a clean- using, closed-loop carbon capture system coupled with regenerative agriculture and an understanding of soil microbiology to solve the pressing challenges of soil degradation and food insecurity in a climate-evolving world. Sabon Sake’s current products focus on improving soil health in rural communities.
Ashesi engages local leadership in dialogue to ensure that communities in Berekuso have access to credible, informative science. We work with leadership to identify opportunities for the institution to provide education, research, and pilot projects on adaptation; and for larger projects that can be pursued in collaboration to improve the resiliency of the community’s infrastructure, energy systems, water system, food systems, and transportation systems (SDG 13 Indicator 13.3).