The Ghana Commission for UNESCO, in partnership with the TCC International Centre for Innovation, Manufacturing, Engineering, Technology Transfer, and Entrepreneurship (TCC-CIMET) of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has taken a significant step toward advancing UNESCO’s mission through the TRANS-SAHARA Project.
The collaboration was showcased during a presentation at the National Commission’s Corner of the 43rd UNESCO General Conference held on November 7, 2025, in Paris. The session highlighted the European Union-funded TRANS-SAHARA Project, coordinated by Technische Universität München (TUM) in Germany, which seeks to foster regional collaboration and promote sustainable development across the Sahara region.
More than sixty participants from UNESCO National Commissions worldwide attended the program, which focused on demonstrating the impact of the Water-Energy-Ecosystem (WEFE) Nexus approach. The project applies agroforestry-driven climate mitigation strategies, resource valorization, and economic diversification to strengthen community resilience and promote multifunctional landscapes.
The presentation was jointly delivered by Prof. Francis Davis, Director-General of TCC-CIMET; Dr. Osman Damba Tahidu, Secretary-General of the Ghana Commission for UNESCO; and Mr. Apollonius O. A. Asare, Chief Program Officer for Natural Sciences at the National Commission. The team shared insights on Ghana’s implementation of the project, which engages water-stressed communities in degraded ecosystems particularly within grassland and agro-silvo-pastoral systems through co-creation processes that empower local populations to develop sustainable, inclusive, and community-led solutions.
Ghana’s Living Lab, a key component of the project led by TCC-CIMET, focuses on selected communities comprising 300–400 households. Each site includes at least a one-acre demonstration plot serving as a learning hub for innovation and community-scale replication. To improve water and energy security, the project integrates rainwater harvesting, managed aquifer recharge, and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, alongside initiatives in grassland regeneration, managed grazing, biomass planting, and organic fertilizer use all designed to enhance land restoration and climate resilience.
Participants at the event commended the progress made in Ghana’s beneficiary communities and applauded the collaborative approach between KNUST’s TCC-CIMET and the Ghana Commission for UNESCO. They also underscored the importance of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the project’s achievements beyond its implementation phase.
