The University of Cape Coast (UCC) and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have signed the Record of Discussion for the Integrated Coastal Sediment Management Project.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Denis Aheto and the Principal Program Specialist at JICA, Mr. Joshua B. Mabe, signed on behalf of their respective organisations.

The project is designed to support the Development of Integrated Sediment and Environmental Management Towards Sustainable Conservation, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Livelihood Improvements in Coastal Areas (DISEM).

The initiative focuses on mitigating the impacts of coastal erosion, flooding, and environmental degradation, which continue to threaten the livelihoods of coastal populations.

It is a collaboration between UCC, JICA and University of Tokyo and financed by the Japanese Science and Technology Institute (JST).

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Prof. Aheto said the collaboration would strengthen coastal resilience. 

Prof. Aheto expressed the University’s gratitude to the government of Japan and JICA for the project and added that, “UCC would do its level best to ensure the operationalization of the agreement”.

He commended JICA for the partnership and indicated the unflinching commitment of the University to make sure the Project yielded the desired results.

The Principal Program Specialist at JICA, Mr. Joshua B. Mabe, on his part, commended UCC for the partnership.

Mr. Mabe said Japan had been at the forefront of disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation.

The Pro Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Denis Aheto (R), exchanging the agreement with the Principal Program Specialist at JICA, Mr. Joshua B. Mabe. With them are officials of UCC

“Japan, which was prone to natural disasters, including flooding and earthquake-tsunami, had successfully implemented early warning systems and infrastructure improvements to mitigate these risks”, Mr. Mabe added.

He said that guided by its official development assistance principle of "Leave no one behind,” which aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), Japan was actively working to ensure that developing countries such as Ghana received the necessary support to strengthen their resilience against climate-related disasters.

The Program Manager of ACECoR, Mr. Donatus Angnwureng, expressed excitement about the project's potential. 

He observed: "I look forward to this partnership achieving its goals and helping our region develop”.

Source: Documentation and Information Section