Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience |  University of Cape Coast

ACECoR Welcomes 2nd Batch of Scholarship Students 

The Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience (ACECoR) welcomed its 2nd batch of freshmen for the 2020/2021 academic year at an orientation programme held on the 14th and 15th of January 2021. Thirty-four students from 5 African countries namely Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Malawi and Benin who are currently enrolled on ACECoR programmes at the University of Cape Coast to pursue MPhil and PhD degrees in Oceanography and Limnology, Fisheries Science and Integrated Coastal Zone Management were present at the two-day event.

The Director of ACECoR – Prof. Denis W. Aheto in his welcome address noted that the funding mechanism for ACECoR is performance-based hence urged students to study hard and deliver quality research works aimed at providing solutions to localized problems in their respective research areas and countries.

Dr. Noble Asare, Head, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (DFAS) gave a presentation on the department and the various collaborations between the department and other institutions that students could explore – notably, the Dual Degree Programme opportunity between DFAS-UCC and the University of Rhode Island.

Students were introduced to the Academic Calendar and Modular Curriculum adopted by ACECoR with a strong focus on Research Thematic Areas geared towards addressing the myriad of challenges confronting the African Coast, as well as highlighted the expected outcomes.

Students were equally taken through the ACECoR Students’ Handbook, Scholarship Guidelines and Sexual Harassment Policy. Other key issues discussed at the event included language support services for students with French as their first language, guidelines on accessing research grants, counselling services, health services, disability services, sporting facilities, library, residence permit and religious services.

The event concluded with a tour of UCC campus for the students to acquaint themselves with lecture venues, research laboratories, the main University library (Sam Jonah Library), DFAS and Centre for Coastal Management Offices, the old and new sites of the UCC campus, among others.

The Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience is hosted by the Centre for Coastal Management, University of Cape Coast, with funding from the World Bank with the aim of addressing the challenges associated with the pervasive coastal degradation in Africa and promoting sustainable policies through the development of high calibre human resources capacity and partnerships with industry.