The University of Ghana in partnership with the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) have organized a seminar to mark the 6th session of the Professor Alexander Adum Kwapong Lecture themed ‘Green Wins; Fostering a Better Dialogue towards a Sustainable, inclusive Natural Resource Governance aimed at impacting Climate Change Mitigation of Natural Resources through inclusive natural resource governance’.
The seminar, which took place at the Cedi Conference Center at the University of Ghana, was chaired by Professor of Hydrogeology, at the University of Ghana, Prof. Sandow Mark Yinada. It facilitated a plethora of well-founded recommendations and a call to action on issues surrounding the utilization of natural resources to ensure sustainable development.
Keynote speaker, United Nations Coordinator to Ghana, Mr. Charles Abani highlighted the need to address existing issues surrounding the imbalances between economic development and environmental protection alongside political and individual interest in Ghana.
“Energy consumption models have to be recalibrated in order to make things happen. We need to really address these questions on responsible production and consumption, we simply cannot go on with endless consumption in a world with finite resources.”
“We must address the imbalances that exist, find the finance, leverage technology and innovation because it offers huge opportunities to lead from and make progress…and I will contend investment in research and development in institutions and universities.”
Further, he emphasized the need to build trust, adopt innovative indigenous ideas alongside global comparative models, and the enforcement of behavioral compliance and monitoring in managing our environmental resources.
“We are spilling our indigenous knowledge rather taking on board new ideas…in tech entrepreneurs and MSMEs people are going to look for ideas in New York (and other parts of the world) but when you look carefully, the Chinese and Europeans are coming here to take your ideas to go to scale and the unicorns that are emerging are your ideas that is why Sankofa is a powerful narrative…. People in Jamestown (in the olden days) always kept to their side to not fish because they did understand that they needed to maintain and conserve fish stocks.”
Deputy Director for Strategic Environmental Assessment, Dr. Christine Okoe Asare, who was a discussant at the seminar, in reaction to the Keynote Speech, made a call to action to all Ghanaians ranging from political leaders and government to public servants, Civil Society organizations and all relevant stakeholders.
She emphasized the need for a societal behavioural change towards the abuse of natural resources such as illegal mining referred to as Galamsey, continuous fishing without intervals among others.
Also speaking, the Rector of United Nations University, Prof. Tshilidzi Marwala admonished the youth to come together as one voice; they should act towards revolutionizing the leadership narrative by pushing the current set of leaders in Ghana and Africa at large to focus on and incorporate the contemporary needs of the youth.
The lecture was organised by the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa (UNU-INRA) in partnership with the University of Ghana in memory of the First African Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Alexander Adum Kwapong.
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Story by: Esther Esenam Ofori | univers.ug.edu.gh
