By Emelia B. Addae
Koforidua, July 22, GNA – Dr Eunice Stella Nyarko, Lead for Entrepreneurship on the Nkabom Collaborative Initiative at the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), has called on journalists to give greater prominence to green entrepreneurship and job creation.
She said increased media attention would help broaden public understanding of environmentally responsible businesses that create jobs while addressing pressing environmental challenges.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Koforidua, Dr Nyarko observed that businesses could no longer operate without considering the environmental impact of their activities.
She noted that enterprises must recognise their responsibility to the communities and ecosystems within which they operate.
“We are in an era where we cannot continue to do business as usual. Businesses must take into consideration the environment in which they operate because they do not operate in isolation,” she stated.
She stressed the need for entrepreneurs to adopt practical measures to protect the environment and restore areas degraded by commercial and industrial activities.
According to her, green entrepreneurship presents significant opportunities in agro-processing, waste management, aquaculture and fish farming.
She cited the processing of pineapples into juice as an example of a green enterprise capable of creating jobs while reducing post-harvest losses.
Dr Nyarko further explained that agricultural waste, including cassava peels, could be converted into useful products instead of being left to pollute the environment.
She noted that such waste could be processed into compost or utilised in aquaculture and fish farming.
Expressing concern about graduate unemployment, she observed that many graduates remained unemployed for at least two years after completing school.
As a result, she urged educational institutions to go beyond academic training and equip students with practical skills needed to transform ideas into productive businesses.
Dr Nyarko disclosed that UESD was already offering short courses in entrepreneurship and small business management alongside its regular academic programmes.
The Nkabom Collaborative is a partnership involving eight institutions in Ghana, including UESD, and McGill University in Canada, with support from the Mastercard Foundation.
The project seeks to create dignified and fulfilling jobs for 55,000 young Ghanaians, particularly young women and vulnerable groups, through training in agro-waste management, aquaculture technology and small business development.
Dr Nyarko called on journalists to strengthen public awareness of green entrepreneurship by highlighting innovative businesses that protect the environment, generate employment and support sustainable economic growth.
GNA
Edited by D.I. Laary/Benjamin Mensah
Reporter: Emelia B. Addae
Email: [email protected]