Green Africa Youth Organization Launches Climate Research Fund for African Students

The Climate Research Fund, developed in partnership with the University of Cape Coast (UCC), offers financial support, mentorship and access to global knowledge-sharing platforms to enable students to develop innovative climate solutions.

The launch of the fund marks a significant step in GAYO’s efforts to empower Africa’s youth in leading the transition toward renewable energy, circular economies and climate resilience.

Speaking at the launch event, Mr. Desmond Alugnoa, Co-Founder of GAYO, emphasized the organization’s commitment to bridging critical gaps in climate research and empowering young people, saying that the initiative seeks to create a platform for Africa’s youth to lead in generating knowledge and driving innovative solutions to address the continent’s environmental challenges.

He added that the program will kick off with a pilot phase at the University of Cape Coast, which would serve as the foundation for a broader expansion across Africa.

“This initiative is a reflection of GAYO’s dedication to empowering the next generation of climate leaders in Africa while staying committed to locally-led solutions,” Mr. Alugnoa indicated.

Prof. Denis W. Aheto, Pro Vice-Chancellor of UCC, highlighted the importance of the initiative in enhancing students’ research capabilities and positioning them to contribute meaningfully to climate action.

He acknowledged that the world was facing unprecedented environmental challenges such as rising temperatures, devastating natural disasters, unpredictable weather patterns, and rising sea levels that threaten the existence of societies.

“The Climate Change Research Fund for African students is therefore a critical step in this direction. Ghana has climate-sensitive sectors, namely, agriculture, forestry, marine and coastal economies, other inland water resources among others and therefore the need to take climate actions,” Prof. Aheto said.

He called on stakeholders to take bold action to mitigate these effects and ensure a sustainable future for generations.

“Transitioning our world away from fossil fuels towards circularity, renewables, and a resilient Africa cannot succeed if the voices and talents of the young people in Africa are not empowered to lead frontier climate solutions. For too long, our academic and research institutions have been underresourced, impacting their capacity to support ambitious undergraduate and postgraduate research.

“Through this initiative, we are drawing attention to this fundamental gap and providing an opportunity for our youth to reimagine the possibility of becoming knowledge bearers, innovators, and inventors in the green transition,” Mr. Joshua Amponsem, Founder of GAYO, said on his part.

The pilot phase of the program will begin at the University of Cape Coast and is expected to expand across the African continent to drive youth and locally-led climate solutions.

The Climate Research Fund is part of the broader Africa Youth Climate Fund (AYCF) initiative by GAYO which is a youth-led fund dedicated to supporting underfunded, youth-driven climate and environmental solutions across Africa.

The AYCF empowers young climate leaders and groups by prioritizing community leadership through a participatory grantmaking approach and offers funding through three thematic programs: the Africa Climate Innovations Challenge, the Solidarity Fund, and the Climate Research Fund for African Students.

GAYO, through the AYCF, is committed to shifting resources and power to youth climate movements to implement and scale grassroots solutions across the continent