GABORONE, March 13– Officials from southern African countries on Thursday renewed their commitment to strengthening climate resilience through the Southern African Science Service Center for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL).
Speaking at the fourth Ordinary Meeting of the Council of Ministers of SASSCAL in Tlokweng, on the outskirts of Gaborone, Council Chairperson Wynter Mmolotsi, Botswana’s minister of environment and tourism, said the challenge posed by climate change remains significant.
“Science must translate into policy action,” he stressed, urging member states to champion SASSCAL’s work in cabinets and parliaments while ensuring adequate resource allocation to translate decisions into tangible regional outcomes.
Council Vice-Chairperson Ingenesia Zaamwani, Namibia‘s minister of agriculture, fisheries, water, and land reform, highlighted successful SASSCAL programs focusing on agriculture, biodiversity, climate adaptation and mitigation, forestry, and integrated water resources management.
Potipher Tembo, charge d’affaires at the Zambia High Commission to Botswana, noted that several climate support programs have been implemented in Zambia since SASSCAL’s establishment, including innovative technologies to improve agricultural climate resilience.
Established in 2012, SASSCAL is a joint initiative of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Germany to address the challenges of global environmental change. Its regional secretariat is located in Windhoek, Namibia. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
