CCLUM

Professor Sidat Yaffa specialises in agriculture, loss and damage, and UNFCCC negotiations. He often writes technical papers on agriculture and climate change/climate variability, and has written many project proposals, mid-term reviews and  project completion reports. Currently, he is a professor of agronomy at University of the Gambia (UTG); dean of the School of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, and director of the UTG/WASCAL Doctoral Research Programme on Climate Change and Education. He has published approximately 20 scientific journal articles on agriculture and climate change, respectively.

Role in the project: Professor Yaffa is the coordinator of the desk study in the Gambia and is responsible for the day-to-day operations and management of the study in the Gambia.

Dr. Peter Gibba specialises on climate change and water resources management. Has a strong background in water resources management and monitoring that relates to land use and change. He obtained a PhD in Climate Change and Atmospheric Science from the WASCAL Programme at the Federal University of Science and Technology at Akure, Nigeria. He also writes technical papers on climate change/climate variability and on water resources.

Role in the project: Dr. Peter Gibba will be in charge of supervising literature data collection during the desk study and will also make sure that the data collected are accurate and up to date.

Dr. Ebrima Sonko specialises on agriculture, soil nutrition and fertility, and land use change. Has a strong background in GIS that relates to land use and change. He obtained a PhD in Climate Change and Land Use from the WASCAL Programme at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He regularly writes technical papers on agriculture and climate change/climate variability. He has published six scientific journal articles on agriculture and climate change, respectively.

Role in the project: Dr. Ebrima Sonko will be deputy coordinator of the desk study. He will be in charge of writing meeting reports and collecting literature data from Gambia government sources, online scientific searches, UN agencies in the Gambia, and other land use practitioners in the Gambia.

Ms. Gloria Okafor specialises in bookkeeping and accounting. She managed the financial aspects of the recently concluded (18 January 2021) one-year Feasibility Study on Climate Change and Renewable Energy Potentials in the Gambia. She is the currently accountant of UTG/WASCAL Programme at the University of the Gambia. 

Role in the project: Ms. Gloria Okafor is the accountant for the desk study in the Gambia and is responsible for the day- to-day accounting operations of the study.

Mr. Lamin E. Sarr specialises in IT management. He managed the IT aspects of the recently concluded (18 January 2021) one-year Feasibility Study on Climate Change and Renewable Energy Potentials in the Gambia. He is currently the IT officer for the UTG/WASCAL Programme at University of the Gambia. 

Role in the project: Mr. Lamin Sarr is IT officer for the desk study in the Gambia and is responsible for the day-to-day IT operations of the study.

Mrs. Mai Sonko-Sanyang specialises in logistics and office management. She is currently pursuing her B.Sc. degree in management at the University of the Gambia. She managed the logistics aspects of and helped collect field data for the recently concluded (18 January 2021) one-year Feasibility Study on Climate Change and Renewable Energy Potentials in the Gambia. She is currently the Logistics Officer for the UTG/WASCAL Programme at UTG. 

Role in the project: Mrs. Sonko-Sanyang is the logistics officer for the desk study in the Gambia and is responsible for the day-to-day logistics operations of the study.

Ms. Fatou K. Saine specialises in meteorology and hydrology work. She earned a B.Sc. degree in physics (major) and mathematics (minor) at the University of the Gambia. She also holds a post-graduate diploma in meteorology and hydrology from UTG. She participated in the data collection for the recently concluded (18 January 2021) one-year Feasibility Study on Climate Change and Renewable Energy Potentials in the Gambia. She has applied to the UTG Master’s degree programme in Climate Change and Renewable Energy.  

Role in the Project: Ms. Saine is providing support to both Dr. Ebrima Sonko and Dr. Peter Gibba in data analyses and report writing. She is responsible for day-to-day technical support for the desk study in the Gambia.

Professor Walter Leal, an IPCC lead author, has worked in the WASCAL region for the past 25 years and has carried out climate change and resilience projects in Senegal, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, Ghana and Ivory Coast. He was involved in the training of some WASCAL PhD students, who have attended various events he has organised. Many WASCAL fellows have also regularly published in his books, especially the Handbook of Climate Change Adaptation (2015) and – more recently – the Handbook of Climate Change Resilience (2020). He has supervised/co-supervised over 20 African PhD students over the years. Professor Leal has extensive experience in managing projects in Africa and has in excess of 400 publications to his credit.

Role in the project: Professor Leal is responsible for overall project coordination, liaising with the project partners, and providing scientific guidance on the execuation of the desk study.
 
Franziska Wolf is a climate change researcher and the senior project manager. She has been involved in a set of capacity-building projects addressing climate change impacts, sustainable agriculture and technology transfer.

Role in the project: Ms. Wolf is responsible for overall project management, monitoring and evaluation, liaising with the project partners, and providing support for scientific inputs in the execution of the desk study.