Introduction
The West-African Center for Sustainable Rural Transformation (WAC-SRT) is a semi-autonomous Centre with two implementing partners, the Faculty of Planning and Land Management (FPLM) and the Faculty of Public Policy and Governance (FPPG). The centre was established through a partnership between the Simon Diedeong Dombo University for Business and Intergrated Development Studies, University for Development Studies (Ghana), University of Ghana (ISSER), University of Abdou Moumouni (UAM), Niger and the Centre for Development Research, University of Bonn, Germany. The centre seeks to build human resource, institutional and governance capacity for sustainable rural development and transformation in West Africa through relevant post-graduate training and capacity building with start-off funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
The flagship programme of the West-African Center for Sustainable Rural Transformation (WAC-SRT) is a scholarship programme for postgraduate studies in West Africa approved for implementation from 2017 to 2021. The programme is funded by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) under the African Excellence Initiative at a cost of about Two Million Euros.
In 2019, the WAC-SRT expanded its portfolio of capacity building support and services for supporting sustainable development in Africa, particularly, West Africa. In addition to academic support for postgraduate training, the center has accelerated its efforts at development research, policy advocacy and development training, and the promotion of sustainable and endogenous development.
Vision
The West African Centre for Sustainable Rural Transformation (WAC-SRT) envisions a world of absolute free poverty engendered and sustained by sustainable development practices.
Mission
The mission of the WAC-SRT is to promote sustainable development through excellence in human resource development, research, institutional capacity and good governance in partnership with governmental and non-governmental organizations in the context of global change in West Africa.
Technical Expertise and Services
The WAC-SRT has a wide range of expertise and capacity in the following areas.
- Managing scholarship schemes and programmes for postgraduate studies and research;
- Conducting basic research, baseline studies, inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research;
- Conducting evaluative research, policy research and policy evaluations in social services(education, health, water & sanitation), environmental change including climate change and livelihoods;
- Conducting research on indigenous knowledge systems, endogenous knowledge systems and development;
- Poverty studies and analysis and gender studies and analysis
Expertise in development policy, advocacy, practice and consultancy:
- Strategic planning and management, and facilitation of strategic plan development;
- Mid-term and end of project evaluations
- Development impact assessments, including EIA, SIA and EIA
- Expertise in participatory development approaches including PRA methods and tools and participatory designs for development projects
- Poverty analysis and development targeting
- Designing community entry and participatory project strategies for project sustainability
- Community action planning
- Participatory facilitation of workshops
- Training and capacity building in a wide range of areas:
- Project planning and project proposal development
- Participatory development approaches
- Gender, gender analysis and development
- Leadership, group dynamics and organizational management
- Business development services and management
- Human resource development & management
Management, Departments and Staff
The WAC-SRT is headed by a Director who is responsible for its administration, growth and development. The Director is supported by functional admsintrative staff and staff who head specialized departments and programmes:
- The Department of Academic Programmes (DAPs), headed by a Coordinator who supports and coordinates academic and research related programmes of the centre;
- Department of Policy Advocacy and Development (DPD). This department is also headed by a coordinator and responsible for two distinct but related work areas – policy advocacy, programming and development;
- Department of Development Research (DDR, headed by a coordinator and responsible for coordination of research related grants for research programmes and policy analysis of research outcomes.
Staff and Contact
The following staff provide administrative support for the smooth running of the WAC-SRT and where applicable, alternate staff exist to ensure continuous administration.
Staff of the WAC-SRT
| s/n | Designation | Name |
| Management/Administration | ||
| 1 | Director | Prof. Emmanuel K Derbile |
| 2 | Administrator/Assistant Registrar | Mr. Mu-een Abdulai |
| 3 | Accountant | Mr. Ibrahim Huudu |
| 4 | Auditor | Mr. Iddrisu Abdulai |
| 5 | Junior Assistant Registrar | Ms. Fadila Osman |
| 6 | Administrator/Junior Assistant Registrar | Mr. Francis Xavier Naab |
| 7 | Administrative Assistant | Ms. Justina Imoro |
| Programmes Areas/Coordinators | ||
| 8 | Coordinator, Academic Programmes(AP) | Dr Elias Kuusaana |
| 9 | Coordinator, Policy Advocacy and Development(PAD) | Mr. George Dery |
| 10 | Gender Specialist | Dr. Constance Akudugu |
| 11 | Coordinator Postgraduate programmes, FPPG | Dr Badu Yeboah |
| 12 | Coordinator, Postgraduate Programmes, FPLM | Dr Ophilia Solikuu |
| 13 | Information Management Services/E-Learning Department | Ophelius M. Yinyeh, Abdul-Rahman Anuwar, Jude Apana, Sampson Kuma Konja |
Contact
Email address: wac-srt@ubids.edu.gh
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