By Patience Gbeze / Edward Dankwah
Accra, June 02, GNA – Solution Oriented Youth Africa (SOY Africa), a group of young Africans pioneering change of sanitation and climate change have undertaken a clean-up exercise at the Laboma Beach in Accra.
The exercise was done ahead of the World Environment Day and was supported by Intertek, BudgIT Ghana and the Students Representative Council of the University of Professional Studies which mobilised and transported their colleagues to help in the exercise.
The gesture formed part of SOY Africa’s activities prior to the celebration of the World Environment Day on June 5, 2023, to lessen the consequences of climate change and contribute to the preservation of the natural environment for future generations.
Members of SOY AFRICA, Intertek, BudgIT Ghana and the Representatives from UPSA embarked on a sensitisation drive through the shores of the beach to educate the revelers and community members on the need to keep the beach clean.
Mr Justice Gadugah, Executive Director, SOY Africa, said climate change was a major threat to humanity, hence the need for adopting measures to preserve the environment.
“So, we are here today to clean up the beach and to also champion collective actions towards combating climate change,” he added.
He said most of the rubbish gathered were plastics which were finding their way into the sea and lagoon, which could adversely affect marine and human life.
Mr Gadugah advised the community members and revelers to abstain from littering plastics and others into the sea and the lagoon.
Mrs Theresa Aning, Regional Human Resource Manager, Intertek West Africa, said there was the need to contribute to building the nation by preserving the environment and “making sure that our activities do not negatively affect the environment.”
She said the environment preserved the lives of humanity and that destroying it would make them homeless, hence the need to dump all refuse into dustbins.
“We realised in the clean-up that a lot of the rubbish is also coming through the lagoon, which means that people are dumping refuse into it from upstream, so we plead with the public to be more conscious when disposing of their refuse,” Mrs Aning added.
GNA