PAGE Trains Journalists On Green Economy

The participants in a group photo after the opening session

Journalists from various media organizations in Accra recently took part in a two-day workshop on Green Economy.

The workshop, organized by Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) Ghana, was to help enlighten journalists on the green economy so they can lead the discussion on the on the issue through their reportage.

The event was also aimed at equipping journalists with the knowledge required to report on the phenomenon to improve the wellbeing of communities to significantly reduce environmental degradation.

The journalists were taken through the concept of green economy and the various international documents and policies that governments and agencies should work with to attain a green market for their countries.

The National Coordinator for PAGE, Samuel Dotse said adopting green economy would encourage sustainable development agenda.

The main challenge in adopting a green economy has to do with awareness creation, political will and the technology to drive it.

He noted that the training was to bring the media attention to the issue of green economy so they could help create awareness.

The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Mahama Ayariga, who opened the workshop, said government was adhering to international protocols to move the country towards green economy.

The sector minister said Senior High Schools (SHS) in the Greater Accra Region would soon be able to convert fecal waste into energy with the construction of biogas plants in the schools.

So far, the construction of the tanks needed for the conversion has been completed in some schools and they are awaiting accessories from China to make them fully functional.

He said the move by government formed part of efforts to boost the country's energy sector, which is currently facing numerous challenges.

'If we get them running, the schools, through the waste they generate, may be able to produce as much electricity as they may need,' he said.

Mr. Ayariga said government was aware of the opportunities that come with turning waste into electricity.

He called for measures to help create green jobs and protect the environment.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri, Dodowa