BEACON holds capacity workshop for scientists and graduate students

Accra-Ghana, April 15, GNA – The BEACON project has organised a capacity building hybrid workshop on biochemical observation of anthropogenic pollution and tropical transitional waters for scientists and students in Accra.
The three-day workshop brought scientists and graduate students from Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire, Benin and Togo with sponsorship from the Partnership for Observation of Global Ocean (POGO), a UK-based Organisation and BON in Japan.
The workshop built the capacity of multidisciplinary scientists; adopt standard methods for benthos and chemical tracers such as Hg in benthos and sediments via a Direct Mercury Analyser for the region.
Participants carried out a preliminary check on benthos and chemical tracer in the sediment they brought with a practical hands-on experience in the field and laboratory demonstration.
They developed policy briefs on major findings to communicate their research discoveries to aid the development of a policy for the protection and sustainable management of transitional tropical coastal waters in the Sub-Saharan region.
Dr Lailah Gifty Akita, a Lecturer at the Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, University of Ghana, Legon, said the BEACON project sought to enhance the capacity of interdisciplinary scientists for biochemical pollution assessment of coastal waters within the Gulf of Guinea.
She said though coastal waters provided economic, social, and educational benefits to people, most of them in the West African region were deteriorating due to pollution.
The pollution of coastal waters, she said, posed huge health problems for people who depended on aquatic resources for food.
“Mercury is a toxic element occurring in low concentrations, but its by-product, methylmercury, is highly toxic and can accumulate in the sediment and biota such as fish and shellfish.
“This can lead to human health concerns, including increased risk of circulatory system disorders and cancers, through the consumption of contaminated food,” she added.
Dr Akita expressed the hope that the workshop would harmonise methods for biological sampling and Hg analysis in biota and sediment, equip graduate students for biochemical monitoring of pollution in the region.
“We also hope to create a Regional Biochemical Data Unit and provide opportunities for student internships through Biochemical Observation Network,” she said.
Prof Francis K. E. Nunoo, the Head of the Department of Marine and Fishery Sciences, explained that the researchers worked to harmonise strategies to determine animals, plants and pollution in the sediment and their effect on life, analyse the data and write a report.
He said there was currently a lot of land and sea pollution, and “we need to strengthen the capacity of our students to collect such data, analyse them and inform the public as to what harm or good it is causing us.”
He said unfortunately, the laudable project would run for just one year, after it may not be sustainable due to the lack of funding.