Young people are key to addressing Ghana's environmental challenges - Eco Impact Network
Ghana can address its environmental challenges by targeting young people with environmental education, Mrs Gifty Ofori-Yeboah, the Executive Director of Eco Impact Network, an environmentally focused non-governmental organisation, has noted.
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For her, educating young people about the environment was crucial as it fosters awareness, understanding, and a sense of responsibility towards the planet.
Mrs Gifty Ofori-Yeboah made the remarks at the launched of the NGO in Accra on Friday, January 5, 2024.
She said Eco Impact Network was committed to positively impacting the young generation by instilling values related to environmental consciousness and sustainable living practices.
This, she noted, the NGO intended to empower young minds with knowledge and skills, contributing to a healthier and more sustainable planet.
Mrs Ofori-Yeboah said it was the mission of the Eco Impact Network to empower and inspire the young generation through comprehensive environmental and climate change education and promote sustainable living practices for a healthier planet.
She explained that educating young people with knowledge on the environment would empower them to make informed decisions, develop sustainable habits, and take action to protect and preserve the environment for future generations.
“This education helps create environmentally conscious citizens who can contribute positively to addressing global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource conservation,” she noted.
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Mrs Ofori-Yeboah added that the focus on the Eco Impact Network would be schools, particularly the basic schools in the Krowor Municipality and other deprived areas in the Greater Accra Region.
“It is imperative for everyone, young and old to grasp the significance of protecting our environment, and we are determined to be the catalysts for this awareness,” she said.
Among the initiatives that the NGO intends to undertake, she explained, included re-introduction of cotton bags, environmental education programmes, formation of environmental clubs, and tree planting campaign, as well as the promotion of re-usable plastic materials.
“As a forward-looking NGO poised to create a healthy society for all, we recognise the vital role that education plays in shaping the future,” Mrs Ofori-Yeboah explained, calling on other liked-minded organisations and individuals to support the initiatives of the NGO.
A representative from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mrs Lilian Adu-Kumi, for her part said, raising eco-conscious youth is a transformative drive towards protecting the country’s environment.
She therefore appealed to religious leaders to use their various platforms to educate their members on the need to protect the environment, particularly on noise pollution.
For her, Ghanaian youth would be in a better position to protect the environment should they be given the needed education.
A representative of the National Coordinator of the Environmental Care Campaign of The Church of Pentecost, Rev. Eric Ansah, commended the Executive Director of the NGO for her thoughtfulness, noting that it would go a long way to impact many young minds with knowledge on the environment.
He said the church over the years had been advocating for sound environmental practices, adding that since 2021, the church had planted more than a million trees as well as collected several tonnes of plastic wastes across the country.
He said the church through radio and television education campaigns had been encouraging its members and the public to take responsibility in protecting the environment.
In his remarks, the Chairman for the event, Pastor Dr Nicholas Darko, called on all to be responsible in taking care of the environment, noting that everyone has a role in protecting the environment.