Director promotes GCRF projects

Prof. Kirk Semple, Director of RECIRCULATE & ACTUATE, was invited to take part in BIO Africa Digital Convention 2021 on 23rd-24th August. This year`s theme was Advancing Africa’s Biomanufacturing Value Chains Through Innovation and expressed the need for the African continent to manufacture its own biotechnology products rather than depend on other developed countries. This urgency for self-sufficiency was brought to light during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prof. Kirk Semple delivered a presentation under the track Internationalisation; Partnerships & Collaborations on topic Human resource development for Africa’s manufacturing capability highlighting the impact of the RECIRCULATE & ACTUATE projects on Africa by showcasing their progress. The BIO Africa Digital Platform aims to foster a collaborative network and provide access to resources and information to support the bio-economy. A key objective of the platform is to provide a marketplace for innovations, ideas and biotechnology products that are geared to address the disruptions to global value chains. 

Earlier in August, Prof. Kirk Semple and Dr Richard Bayitse, ACTUATE Project Coordinator, CSIR-IIR, were invited to deliver a presentation on Local Actions Addressing Climate Change Sustainable Energy Perspective to The Ghanaian Government Ministers and MPs organised by the HATOF Foundation. The event was focused on the Launch of Climate Communications & Local Governance-Africa, and National Dialogue on ACTUATE Project with a subtheme Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation: A collective Responsibility at the Local Level. Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo (Methodist Church Ghana) was the Chairman while the event also featured Kofi Don-Agor (President of The Climate Communications and Local Governance-Africa (CCLG-Africa), Alban Kingsford (Speaker of the 8th Parliament) and Kwaku Afriyie (Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation).

In July, Prof. Kirk Semple also delivered a talk on the REECIRCULATE and ACTUATE projects in the context of sustainability, circular economy and climate change at the UK-IL Climate and Sustainability Roundtable organised by the Embassy of Israel, COP26 Universities Network and Universities UK International. The event featured funding opportunities presented by the British Council and the Israel Innovation Authority (ISERD) as well as two roundtables with contributions from speakers from UK and Israeli universities.