A youth-led environmental group, Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) is rallying Ghanaian youth to participate in the governance of Ghana’s natural resource and environment.
The group acknowledged the relevance of the natural resource and environmental sector stating that “over the past years, extraction of natural resources such as cocoa, gold, and oil among others has helped transform Ghana’s economic growth, with revenue contribution valued at 67% of exports and 15.4% of GDP”.
But “the cost of environmental degradation in Ghana due to unsustainable use of land for agriculture, forests, and mining stands at 2.8 percent of national GDP”, the group bemoaned.
In the past week, the Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR), and a team of Japanese environmental scientists had announced a partnership to conduct research into Ghana’s polluted rivers brought on by illegal mining.
The objective of the team is to make the rivers clean and hygienic using micro-nano-bubble, unique bacteria and other cleaning technologies.
The Climate Change Lead at SYND, Patience Agyekum speaking at the launch of ‘National Youth Conference on Natural Resources and Environmental Governance’ at University of Ghana, says “in the planning, implementation and evaluation of environmental action interventions, the inclusion of young people as relevant actors has been inadequate”.
The conference therefore will “position the young people and the Youth-NREG platform as a key stakeholder in the NRE sector. Also, it will empower young people as change agents in promoting good governance of the NRE sector in Ghana. Additionally, whip up the interest of young people in considering alternative career paths in the NRE sector”, she added.
This will also “create a space for young green entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative climate and waste management solutions to attracting partnerships and investments”, she added.
A lecturer at UG’s Department of Marine and Fisheries, Dr. Andrews Agyekumhene, commended the team for organizing the event and charged the students to consider taking career paths in the green sector.
He further explained that the environment and the ecosystem are crucial for human life, and it’s therefore important for youth to get involved in the efforts to preserve and protect the environment.
A brief panel discussion featured the 4 thematic team leads of SYND; notably Forestry, Climate Change, and Energy, shared insights on their work mode, experiences, and challenges encountered while carrying out their duties.
A member of the Forestry Team at SYND, Prince Yeboah observed the International Day of Forest on the theme, ‘Forest & Health’ stating that the forest importantly helps to regulate the earth’s climate, provide us with clean air and water, and support biodiversity by providing habitat for countless species of plants and animals.
