The Africa Centre of Excellence (ACE) Regional Transport Research and Education Centre Kumasi (TRECK), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in collaboration with the World Bank, have launched a new, unique professional certification short course on Essentials of Environmental and Social Risk Management (ESRM) for development projects.
The first course which took place from December 5th to 9th, 2022 in Accra, Ghana, attracted over 50 development practitioners including project managers, environmentalists, social safeguards, academics, researchers, consultants, and road designers from Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Uganda.
The course was under the leadership of TRECK and administered in Accra. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Prof. Ing. Rev. Charles Adams, Director of TRECK, underscored the importance of managing the adverse effects and impacts of environmental and social risks of development projects in Africa.
He said once we want development, we have to build large-scale public infrastructure including schools, roads, dams and hospitals. There would be a need for land, which could impact agricultural lands, affect the livelihood of citizens, may disproportionately affect vulnerable groups and create social exclusion.
The course addresses the essentials all practitioners need to know to be able to plan, design, implement, operate and decommission projects whilst mitigating risks. Other speakers at the launch were Prof. Charles Amoatey, Director of the Academy of Leadership and Executive Training, GIMPA and Steffen Janus, Senior Social Safeguard Specialist, World Bank.
