By Kodjo Adams
Accra, June 8, GNA – Professor Samuel Famiyeh, Dean, Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Business School, says well-executed sustainability programmes by companies can lead to improvements in their operational and environmental performance.
He said firms were under increasing pressure to integrate sustainability modules into their operations due to pressure from customers, who were demanding green products and regulatory bodies.
Prof Famiyeh said this in Accra at an inaugural lecture on the topic: ” Environmental Managing Practices, Operational Competitiveness, and Environmental Performance: Empirical Evidence from a Developing Country”.
The lecture was organized by GIMPA.
He urged the Ghana Tertiary Education Commission to integrate sustainability plans into its programmes to help students make better decisions on environmental practices.
He said the implementation of effective sustainability programmes would help reduce costs and improve general performance through the use of energy-efficient modules.
The professor charged financial institutions to demand proof of environmental permits before financially supporting firms.
“To implement sustainability, there should be increased attention paid to firm operations within the entire supply chain.
“In the business context, sustainability seeks to prevent the depletion of natural resources and also prevent pollution,” he said.
Prof Famiyeh said research contributions in the area of sustainability and competitiveness revealed challenges in the implementation of environmental management systems in Ghanaian firms, including implementation costs, processing fees, and the cost of consultancies.
Other challenges are “too many paper works” and poor quality of consultants.
GNA