3 Nigerian academics get grant for climate change research
Three Nigerian academics, Dr. Daniel Akinyele, Dr. Ayansina Ayanlade and Dr. Adanna Henri-Ukoha have been named by the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) as beneficiaries of research Grants in Climate Change Science.
Three other academics from across Africa, Dr. Lindani Ncube of South Africa, Dr. Timothy Dube of Zimbabwe and Dr Muhire Innocent of Rwanda were joint beneficiaries.
AIMS, based in Kigali Rwanda announced the grants today.
“Climate change is affecting all facets of society, contributing to lower agricultural productivity, a greater burden of diseases, and forced migration, among other consequences. African scientists, like the selected grantees, have a crucial role to play in providing solutions to the challenges posed by climate change. The small research grants program hopes to facilitate the provision of such solutions,” said Prof. Wilfred Ndifon, AIMS Director of Research.
The AIMS Small Research Grants in Climate Change is part of the Mathematical Science for Climate Change Resilience (MS4CR) program which is made possible by a grant from Canada’s International Development Research Centre, with the support of Global Affairs Canada and administered by AIMS.
The six grantees were selected through a rigorous review and selection process. Their projects will include among others: developing localised ‘clean energy’ models for off-grid applications in rural communities.
This will increase access to a sustainable supply of ‘clean energy’, especially because such communities usually lack access to grid electricity or are unable to afford electricity.
Additionally, off-grid energy reduces greenhouse gas emission through a reduction in the usage of hazardous fossil fuel-powered technologies (coal, natural gas, or petroleum) for energy production. Off-grid energy technologies can therefore significantly lower health risk, reduce energy prices and improve livelihoods.
Additional projects will investigate the effects of climate change on the yields of important cash crops (coffee and tea) in Rwanda, and how best farmers in Nigeria can sustainably adapt to climate change etc.
Over the next four years, 16 small research grants will be awarded to outstanding early career African researchers to fund projects that can contribute to strengthening climate change resilience on local and/or global scales.
One of the grantees, Dr. Daniel Akinyele is a Lecturer at the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, University of Lagos.
He received a PhD in Engineering (Renewable Energy) from the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and had served as a Senior Engineer at the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Abuja, Nigeria – the Federal Government of Nigeria’s Agency having the mandate to create science and engineering infrastructure in the country.
His other achievements include a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel and a number of publications and participation in scientific events. His research interests include renewable energy systems analysis, microgrid design and planning, energy efficiency, life cycle impact analysis and sustainability.
Dr. Ayansina Ayanlade is a researcher and Lecturer in the Department of Geography, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria and a Project Associate under the Urbanization and Global Environmental Change (UGEC) core projects of International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP).
