Accra, Feb. 5, GNA – Mr Chibeze Ezekiel, Executive Coordinator of Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND), has said building the capacity of young people as key actors in the fight against climate change is essential and strategic.
He said the youth were energetic and only needed relevant information and technical guidance to help address climate change issues.
Mr Chibeze Ezekiel said this at a workshop organised by SYND on the development of a youth strategy for climate action in Ghana.
The workshop aims at developing a strategic document on how young people could be engaged and be active stakeholders in fighting climate change.
Mr Ezekiel said the document, when validated, would be a blueprint for youth involvement in mitigating climate change.
He said the youth could contribute to climate action processes through advocacy by educating more young people and communities as well as influence government policies and programmes to ensure that it created an enabling environment needed towards attaining climate solutions.
Me Ezekiel said a major challenge in the climate change fight was inadequate opportunities for youth participation in decision making, saying, they should be consulted at all levels both local and national.
“Consultation with youth groups on climate actions should be hinged on a participatory and fully transparent principle,” he said.
Mr Ezekiel said state and non-state actors should sponsor green entrepreneurial development, saying, there should be an institutional financial schemes to fund youth-lead climate solutions.
He explained that once the youth strategy was developed, SYND would meet state and non-state actors, government agencies, and development partners on its adoption into the national platform.
Dr Antwi Boasiako Amoah, Project Coordinator of National Adaption Plan on Climate Change, Environmental Protection Agency, said youth inclusion was important, because it brought innovations in climate solutions.
He said as a young and energetic portion of the population, the youth ought to be given the opportunity to contribute their quota in the fight against climate change.
“This requires that young people are provided with adequate knowledge and information on environmental issues to help them understand the country’s climate situation.”
“They require to be sensitised on good environmental and climate practices and be encouraged to adopt same in their every-day dealings,” he added.
GNA