ASSAR’s West Africa team engages district- and national-level stakeholders in Ghana and Mali
ASSAR’s West Africa team recently held district- and national-level stakeholder engagement events in both Mali and Ghana.
Ghana
A district level event was held on the 22nd and 23rd of July and included participants from the Lawra and Nandom districts in northwestern Ghana. The purpose was to introduce participants to the major findings of the West Africa regional diagnostic study (RDS) and to give them the opportunity to give feedback on the findings of the RDS through corrections, additions and recommendations. The participants included representatives from farmers groups, civil service, civil society groups and the traditional council.
The one-day National Level Dialogue and RDS Dissemination Workshop, held on the 29th July in Accra, brought together diverse stakeholders from academia as well as civil society organizations. Also present were students working on the ASSAR project. The aim of this workshop was to introduce participants to the major findings of the West African RDS and to provide a platform to validate findings which will help transition the project to the regional research phase (RRP).
Mali
A district level RDS dissemination event was held in Koutiala, Mali in July. The aim of this event was to share the RDS findings with local stakeholders, and to accommodate stakeholder comments and suggestions as the ASSAR team prepares to transition from the RDS phase to the next regional research phase of ASSAR. Find more about this event here.
A national level RDS dissemination event was also held in Mali in September. More information on that event will be available soon.
Moving Forward
Two PhD students, four Masters students, and two technical officers from the Ghana group of the ASSAR West Africa team undertook a two and half day field visit to Lawra and Nandom districts in the Upper West Region from the 16th to 18th September. This was the first field for ASSAR’s RRP.
The trip served as a reconnaissance survey to enable students to identify study areas for their research work. It also sought to assist students in familiarizing themselves with local stakeholders and the communities with which they will be working. More information will become available as the RRP progresses.