Collaborative Project will focus on “Geomodelling a coastal community in Ghana to generate place-based insight and solutions for climate change-induced erosion”.

Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program to Support Projects at Universities across Africa

Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science and Technology (KNUST) was selected by the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship Program (CADFP) to host an African Diaspora scholar from the United States to work with on a collaborative project on geomodelling a coastal community in Ghana to generate place-based insight and solutions for climate change-induced erosion. Dr Cyril Dziedzorm Boateng from the Department of Physics, KNUST will lead the Project, together with Dr Paddington Hodza from the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center (WyGISC) within the School of Computing at the University of Wyoming, Laramie, Wyoming, United States. The team also includes Professor David Dotse Wemegah from the Department of Physics at KNUST.

Coastal erosion has long impacted Ghanaian coastal communities. However, the escalating effects of climate change threaten to exacerbate this issue significantly. While indigenous knowledge offers valuable insights, its integration with scientific knowledge using high-resolution data and advanced geospatial technologies (GeoAI, 3D/4D geovisualization, drone imagery) is crucial for effective coastal management. This project aims to: 1) develop a detailed geomodel of a coastal community to understand and predict erosion, incorporating both indigenous and scientific knowledge; and 2) empower local stakeholders, including KNUST faculty, students, and community members, with the skills and tools to utilize and maintain this geomodel for informed decision-making and coastal resilience.

The Kwame Nkrumah University Of Science and Technology (KNUST) project is one of 43 projects that will pair African Diaspora scholars with higher education institutions and collaborators in Africa to work together on curriculum co-development, collaborative research, graduate training and mentoring activities in the coming months.

The CADFP, now in its eleventh year develops long-term, mutually-beneficial collaborations between universities in Africa and the United States and Canada. It is funded by Carnegie Corporation of New York and managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE) in collaboration with the Association of African Universities (AAU). Nearly 750 African Diaspora Fellowships have now been awarded for scholars to travel to Africa since the program’s inception in 2013. Fellowships match host universities with African-born scholars and cover the expenses for project visits of between 14 and 90 days, including transportation, a daily stipend, and the cost of obtaining visas and health insurance.

Please direct all questions related to the application process to AfricanDiaspora@iie.org.