By Priscilla Phiri
Lilongwe, October 18, Mana: Malawi Higher Education Institutions Network on Climate Change Learning (MHEINCCL) will be hosting its first ever Climate Change Learning Conference in Lilongwe at Crossroads Hotel on October 24, 2022, in a bid to engage various stakeholders on recent advances on climate change learning.
In an interview with Malawi News Agency (Mana) on Tuesday in Lilongwe, Co-Chairperson of MHEINCCL and Chairperson of the Scientific and Technological Committee of the Conference Prof Cosmo Ngongondo from the University of Malawi (UNIMA) said the conference has been set to evaluate the progress made in Climate Change Learning in the country.
“This Conference has been organized so that we take stock as a country in terms of the strides that we are making in Higher Education Institutions on issues of climate change, bearing in mind that the idea of climate change is impacting on all aspects of human rights,
We are trying to ensure graduates of tertiary education are conversant with climate change issues and basic technologies that are contributing towards our response to climate change through climate change learning,” he explained.
According to a Document MHEINCCL released recently, some of the sub themes for the conference include Climate Change Financing Mechanisms, Advances in Innovations and Technology under Changing Climate, Climate Change Resilience, Mitigation and Adaptation among others.
Ngongondo stressed the need for the country to have strategies in response to climate change and urges Malawians to invest in knowledge by participating in the conference to help in mitigating climate change concerns as it affects everyone.
“Climate change is to stay and as a country, we need a national response towards addressing it. Academic institutions have a key role in this aspect because it affects everyone, so the more they know about it the better they will contribute in the national response to climate change mitigation and adaptation,
Everyone is eligible to attend the conference and all participants will be required to pay a fee of K150, 000,” he emphasized.
Ngongondo confirmed that the conference would comprise of different scientists, academicians who are expected to address the conference such as Dr. Jessie Kabwira Kapasula, Prof Sosten Chiotha among others.
The network is in partnership with Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), University of Malawi (UNIMA), Nalikule College of Education, and Mzuzu University among other stakeholders.
National Coordinator for Civil Society Network on Climate Change (CISONECC), Julius Ng’oma said the conference has come at a right time considering that Malawians had not heard from the network since the formation of MHEINCCL.
“This Conference has come at the right time because since the formation of the Network. We have not heard of how they want to be collaborating and what initiatives they are taking in their partnership through this network,
The meeting is coming at the right time to ensure that they take stock and hopefully whatever gaps they find they will be able to address and link up with other partners dealing with the issue especially in the civil society and government,” he added.
MHEINCCL was established to provide a platform for promoting Climate change learning related issued in higher education institutions.
The Network supports the expansion of interests for climate change learning to influence decision making towards increased awareness, understanding and addressing of climate change learning related challenges in the country.