Government Committed To Environmental Protection

The Deputy Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Edward Omani Boamah, has assured the Guinea Current large Marine Ecosystem Project of the government's support in ensuring that natural resources are protected for the betterment of society.

He said even though the constraints of the world economy has brought about budgetary challenges for many development countries, including Ghana, the government will do its best to provide a regime of sustainable development in all sectors of the country.

Dr Omani Baomah was speaking at the opening of the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosytem (GCLME) Fifth Regional Steering Committee Meeting in Accra.

The GCLME, which comprise 16 countries, has the mandate to combat living resource depletion and coastal area degradation in the Guinea Current Region through ecosystem-based regional actions.

He challenged the participants to call on the political leadership of the GCLME countries to support efforts to combat the depletion of natural resources and coastal area degradation, using the ecosystem management approach.

According to him, the transition from Interim Guinea Current Commission Phase into a full commission that will be called the Guinea Current Commission, called for a renewed commitment by all the 16 countries of the project and its partners to lend greater support to the project.

The deputy minister observed that the issues tabled for discussions are in the right direction.

'The deprived populations within the GCLME countries will be happy to see the physical implementation of the National and Regional Demonstration Projects, the Strategic Action Programme with the National Programme with the national Action Plans,' he stated.

Mr Christian Susan, Project Manager of GCLME, said the meeting is very crucial, adding that they are on a cross road and it is time to take stock of the activities of the project and provide vital information to the participants.

The Representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO), Mr Igor N. Volodin, said the major tasks of UNIDO, namely poverty alleviation, energy and environmental protection, among others, are being implemented by GCLME and that it is a good thing that UNIDO will continue to support the project.

The meeting was aimed at considering the report and recommendations from a preceding meeting in addition to providing the work plan for 2009-2010 and directing actions towards the preparation of the Second Meeting of the Committee of Ministers towards the preparation of a donor's conference to be held in 2010.