The Coordinator of SYND and Chair of Youth In Natural Resource and Environmental Governance (Youth- NREG)platform, Mr Chibeze Ezekiel has won the Goldman Environmental Prize for the year 2020 in the African Category.
The Goldman Environmental Prize “honours grassroots environmental heroes from roughly the world’s six inhabited continental regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands & Island Nations, North America, and South & Central America. The Prize recognizes individuals for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk while inspiring all of us to take action to protect our planet”.
Mr Ezekiel was honoured by the prize for fearlessly leading the grass-root youth-led anti-coal campaign against the government of Ghana’s plans to build a coal-powered plant in Ekumfi in the Central Region.
Mr Ezekiel since then has continued to promote renewable energy as an alternative source of power generation to the use of fossil-fuel in Ghana.
The SYND Team and members of the Youth-NREG Platform applauded his heroic work in promoting Renewable Energy in Ghana and his efforts in creating platforms for youth inclusion in the national dialogue on climate actions.
Also, 350-Ghana Reducing our Carbon in a congratulatory message says, “since the founding of our network 350 GROC, we have worked tirelessly to ensure we usher in the Ghana we would like the future generation to see. The acknowledgement of one of our own is a great motivation that the work we do is truly acknowledged but more so, we hope that this will give our government leverage to see that a fossil-free Ghana is the only future ahead.”
Chibeze is currently leading the Youth in Renewable Energy Movement and several other projects aimed at building the capacity of young people to be effective and efficient actors in Ghana climate change adaptation and mitigation efforts.
He is a certified Youth Master Trainer on Climate Change, National SDGs Champion, Climate Reality Leader and serves on the Board of 350.org. He serves as Panel Member of International Experts on the Environment of Peace 2022 (EP 2022) project.
Mr Ezekiel is the second Ghanaian to win the Goldman Prize after Hon. Rudolf Amenga-Etego, the Member of Parliament for Chiana-Paga Constituency, Upper East Region.
