From 19 to 21 November 2024, the final HOTSPOT-2 workshop was held at UCC. Learn more about the activites of the three days below.
Day 1: Presentation of results to fisher folks and fish mongers
The first day our Ghananian colleagues presented the results of HOTSPOT for fisher folks and fish mongers in Anomoba and Elmina in the local language. The meetings were well attended with about 200 and 150 people in Anomoba and Elmina respectively. During the meeting, questions were many and a lot of discussion took place.
We also had a poster exhibit with the main findings from the project and a microscope demonstration of plankton where research assistants from UCC explained about the importance and role of plankton for the fish stock.
Left: Dr. Noble Asare talking about the HOTSPOT project findings for fisher folks and fish mongers in Anomabo.
Right: Mr. Albert Koomson is showing fisher folks form Elmina a plankton sample under microscope.
Left: Poster presentation about HOTSPOT in Anomabo by Mr. Benjamin Gawornu. Right: During HOTSPOT-2 Dr. Sam Aglorti interviewed fisher folks and fish mongers in Anomoba and Elmina to investigate how the environmental and coastal degradation has affected their livelihood (Photo. Thilde Ladevang).
Day 2: Presentation of results to science students at senior high schools
On the second day, approximately 200 and 600 pupils comprising first and second year science students from Kwagyir Aggrey Senior High/Technical School and Edinaman Senior High School in Anomabo and Elmina respectively were engaged in poster exhibitions, project presentation, and microscope work.
During the final workshop of HOTSPOT-2 project the results were presented at Edinaman Senior High School in Elmina. Here the pupils got a hand one experience with plankton (left) and listened to a presentation of the findings of the HOTSPOT project.
Dr. Delove Asiedu talking about the importance of plankton in the Gulf of Guinea for pupils at the school of Elmina (left) and at Kwagyir Aggrey Senior High/Technical School in Anomabo.
Day 3: Stakeholders’ dissemination workshop
The last meeting day was dedicated to a stakeholders’ dissemination workshop which was held at the Africa Centre of Excellence in Coastal Resilience, University of Cape Coast-Ghana. The meeting was opened by Prof. Aaron Asare, Dean of the School of Biological Sciences and Prof. Joojo Eghan, the Provost of the College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences.
There was participation by the chief fishermen from both Elmina and Anomabo, representatives from Environmental Protection Agency and local government, faculty members and students.
All the major findings of the project were presented and discussed. The results were well received and discussed during and workshop.
Left: Professor Denis Aheto’s official opening the stake holder workshop at UCC. Centre: Dr. Maria Lund Paulsen sharing her experience from the Danida workshop ‘(More) Women in Research’ during the stake holder workshop at UCC. Right: Dr. Sigrun Jonasdottir presenting HOTSPOT project results on concentration of contamination in higher trophic level of the food web.
By Torkel Gissel Nielsen, project coordinator and professor at DTU