World environment day marked in Accra
Ghana will need to spend $678.47 million in the next decade to construct new roads solid enough to withstand climate change. The country would also have to spend $473 million to maintain and repair damages caused to its existing roads as a result of climate change.
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A senior lecturer at the Department of Economics of the University of Ghana, Dr Daniel Kwabena Twerefou, made the assertion yesterday at a symposium to mark World Environmental Day in Accra.
The symposium, which was on the theme: “Combating the Climate Change menace, role of the youth” sought to educate the youth, particularly students of senior high schools, on the effects of negative practices on the environment.
It was organised by Earth Service, a non-governmental organisation with the goal of helping to address environmental challenges.
Road Infrastructure
Dr Twerefou said since the road network played a crucial role in the country’s development agenda, there was the need for government to pay proper attention to that infrastructure.
He said as a result of climate change, most of the roads had developed major cracks and added that “some bridges have collapsed because of the impact of climate change”.
“If we are to address all these challenges, the country needs to spend more on its road infrastructure,” Dr Twerefou said.
Role of youth
In his welcome address, the Executive Director of Earth Service, Mr Joshua Awuku-Apaw, said one of the effective ways of addressing challenges affecting the environment was for the youth to be educated on the impact of their negative activities on the environment.
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“Youth are adventurous, energetic and generally considered responsible. There is the need to inculcate what I will describe as environmental values in them so that as they grow, they will know that if they do not take care of the environment, they will lose their life support,” he said.
Touching on some of the effects of climate change, Mr Awuku-Apaw, said water bodies were drying up, temperatures were rising, poor harvests were being recorded while environmental sanitation was becoming poorer.
He, therefore, called on stakeholders to join the effort at addressing the issue of climate change before the country began to feel its full impact in the next few years.
Ecobank Support
In a speech read on his behalf, the Executive Director and Head of Domestic Banking at Ecobank, Mr George Mensah Asante, said the bank had partnered Earth Service to create awareness of climate change.
He said Ecobank would continue to partner environmental institutions towards that effort as it formed part of the company’s policy on economic growth.