Ghana | Bringing together: ACTIVATE Co-Creation Workshop
- Mar 20
- 3 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
There is growing evidence of climate change impacts as well as various adaptation strategies being implemented across communities. However, translating and interpreting research findings into forms that communities can easily understand and use for planning and decision-making remains a major challenge. This gap limits the effectiveness of local adaptation efforts. In response, I was selected as a winner among six pilot studies in Africa focused on translating research evidence into practical formats that support community-level decision-making. I attended the ACTIVATE Project Co-Creation Workshop, held from 17th to 20th March 2026 at Ensign Global College, Kpong, Ghana, which brought together researchers, creative and technology partners, and institutional representatives from across Africa to design practical tools to address climate and environmental challenges collaboratively. For effective implementation, the project works closely with institutional representatives and technical experts; in my case, this included a representative responsible for environmental management at Dar es Salaam City and a communication officer, both of whom attended the workshop.
The Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) is a global coalition committed to a new paradigm of adaptation research for impact. It supports action-oriented research that informs adaptation solutions and reduces risks from climate change at the scale which is urgently demanded by science. On the IPCC platform, ARA seeks to inform the Working Group II (WGII)’s work on impacts of climate change, vulnerability, and adaptation approaches by amplifying the voices and knowledge of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and civil society, and ensuring that evidence and insights from research co-created by climate-vulnerable people, especially marginalised groups, are included in AR7.
ARA seeks to support emerging adaptation professionals (EAPs); including early career researchers (ECRs), practitioners, and knowledge brokers involved in adaptation and resilience work, in the regions of Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and Asia, to publish and contribute to the IPCC AR7 process, specifically WGII’s work.
In collaboration with the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS), ARA seeks to highlight African voices in adaptation research through a six-month Fellowship to be hosted on the ACTS Pathways Academy (APA) platform. The targeted researchers include postgraduate students, PhD students, Postdocs, early-career researchers, young faculty, and climate adaptation practitioners in Africa. The collaboration will support EAPs in publishing and sharing their research in a variety of ways, including a fully funded physical or virtual Tracking, Learning & Sharing (TLS) Workshop.
The first and second days of the workshop focused on presenting evidence, framing problems, and developing tools. Each team presented their research findings, which helped to refine problem statements and identify key gaps. For the Tanzania team, this process clarified challenges related to flood risk communication and community understanding. Through brainstorming and group discussions, we developed a tool concept based on playing cards, a magazine, visual infographics, and 3D map posters, ensuring that gender, equity, and social inclusion aspects were well integrated into the design.
The third day was dedicated to prototyping and peer review. Our team developed the first version of the tool and presented it to other teams for feedback. The peer review sessions provided valuable insights, particularly on improving clarity, usability, and information structure. Based on this feedback, we refined the prototype and documented key changes. The final day focused on implementation planning, during which we developed a roadmap outlining timelines, roles, the budget, and a user testing strategy to guide the next phase of the project.
The workshop was productive and provided a strong foundation for advancing the project. It strengthened collaboration among participants, improved the design of our tool, and clarified the next steps for implementation. Although there is still a need to further refine the tool, especially in improving the categorisation of hazards and solutions, the progress made during the workshop was significant. It will support effective project implementation moving forward.
