Ghana set to achieve environmental sanity

Accra, Dec. 4, GNA - The Ministry of Environment and Science, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency has begun the process of developing a strategy and implementation plan on how the country could achieve environmental sanity.

At the opening of a two-day workshop to review and update Ghana's environmental assessment done by the various regions, Mr Edward Osei Nsenkyire, Chief Director of the Ministry, said a project, aimed at establishing close link between global environmental management was being developed to enable the country to achieve sustainable development goals.

The project dubbed: "National Capacity Self-Assessment (NCSA)" is a Global Environmental Facility project to ensure that Ghana, which is a party to the Conventions on Biological Diversity and Climate Change, UN Convention to Combat Desertification and the Kyoto Protocol, is able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the area.

The workshop would among other things identify capacity needs and associated constraints within the conventions and would strengthen dialogue, information exchange and cooperation among stakeholders. Mr. Nsenkyire said the project would afford Ghana an opportunity to look at capacity development issues in terms of achieving environmental sanity and would link the Country Action to the broader national environmental management and sustainable development framework.

Mr Fifi Korsah-Brown, Consultant and Project Coordinator, said the inputs of stakeholders participating in the workshop would be crucial in determining the success or failure of the project.

"I will therefore urge that your group discussions should be focused so that the maximum benefits would be derived," he said.