The University of Dar es Salaam is developing a curriculum on Masters of Science degree in Climate Change and Sustainable Development to enable the varsity become a centre for excellence with respect to climate change studies.

University of Dar es Salaam Vice- Chancellor Prof Rwekaza Mukandala

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof Rwekaza Mukandala, said that the curriculum to be established through Climate Change Research, Education and outreach Programme (CCREOP) would be operated under the Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Professional Chair in Environment and Climate Change.

Prof Mukandala revealed the information when opening a stakeholders’ Curriculum Development Workshop in Dar es Salaam on Monday. He said the curriculum would enable the university build the capacity to expand frontiers of knowledge on threats and adaptation on climate change.

“Many African Universities, ours included, lack appropriate climate change curriculum that adequately address the emerging threats of climate change,” he said adding that capacity to support serious research including on climate change is also inadequate at many Universities.

According to the Chair Holder of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere Chair-Environment and Climate Change, Prof Pius Yanda, the three-day workshop aims to set up priority areas to be focused in the Masters Programme within the existing expertise and other resources, Prof Yanda said that through the curriculum, the state would be able to tackle challenges related to climate change.

“Apart from that, the workshop would ensure we are guided by national, regional and global priorities on capacity needs on climate change,” he said. Prof Yanda said developing countries including Tanzania are more vulnerable to climate change impacts due to low adaptive capacity caused by lack of preparedness, inadequate knowledge and lack of financial resources to respond to such related challenges.

By ANNE ROBI, Tanzania Daily News