Daily Graphic reporter honoured as Environmental Reporting Champion

A reporter with the Northern Regional office of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mohammed Fugu, has been honoured as an Environmental Reporting Champion for his outstanding contribution to environmental and climate issues.

The award — which was conferred by The Green Republic Project (TGRP) at the second annual Climate benefit Ball in Accra — was in recognition for his stories that highlighted how the Savannah Ecological Zone, particularly its economic trees, were being destroyed and the impact on the climate.

Mr Fugu was honoured at the awards night along with the Managing Director of Republic Bank, Benjamin Dzoboku, who was adjudged the landscape restoration champion.

TGRP is a youth-driven grassroots effort to make Ghana green.

Event

The event was to showcase the strides made by the group in helping to make the country green.

It brought together captains of industry, corporate institutions, traditional rulers and civil society organisations to raise funds to support climate change action as well as recognise a few people who had distinguished themselves in the environment and climate change space.

The Founder and Convener of TGRP, Nana Yaw Osei-Darkwa, explained that the biggest challenge facing the climate action community in developing economies remained funding.

He added that the rampant occurrences of tidal waves along the coastal belt of the country and many other nations of the world pointed to an environmental crisis triggered by climate change and global warming which needed to be contained and resolved by reconciling humanity with nature through restoration, stressing that: “climate crisis is a battle humanity must win at all cost.

“The science and signs are clear enough that we are in a climate emergency,” he observed.

Achievement

Highlighting some achievements of his team, the Convener said since its inception in 2018, his team had planted over 36,000 trees as part of efforts to plant the 20 million set target by the year 2028.

Nana Osei-Darkwa further called on the government to consider creating a sole ministry for climate change and global warming to give focus and direction to curbing the climate crisis which threatened the very existence of the nation and humankind at large.

“Ghana needs to take the climate crisis very seriously if we are to overcome its devastating effects which are already beginning to bite hard through flooding, drought and excessively warm temperatures,” he added.

Commendation

The Indian High Commissioner, Sugandh Rajaram, commended TGRP for its work in reconciling mankind with nature.

He said his outfit was proud to be associated with the team, stressing the need for stronger partnerships to galvanise the objective of mitigating the effects of climate change through tree planting

Mr Fugu thanked the organisers for the honour, and pledged to continue to work hard to champion the cause of the environment.

He is one of Daily Graphic's reporters dedicated to reporting on environment and rural issues.

In 2020, he was adjudged the National Best Environmental Reporter by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).