Accra, June 18, GNA – Madam Ophelia Mensah Hayford, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) today opened a two-day workshop on the domestication of continental and global instruments related to aquatic biodiversity and ecosystem conservation climate change and environmental management.
The workshop is aimed at supporting Ghana to technically align and domesticate relevant key global instruments related to aquatic biodiversity and climate change.
Organised by MESTI with support from African Union InterAfrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) and funding from the Swedish governmrnt under a three-year project christened “Conserving Aquatic Biodiversity in African Blue Economy”. it is being implemented in 55 AU member States.
Madam Hayford acknowledged that the country’s aquatic biodiversity and ecosystems was threatened by actions including overexploitation of species, pollution from land-based municipal and agricultural activities, mining and invasive species.
These, she noted, had a cumulative negative impact on aquatic bodies’ resources, livelihood of communities especially youth, women and children.
With the necessary technical support, adequate and timely funding, the Minister said respective governments would take the necessary steps to develop and implement robust policies and enforcement mechanisms to reverse the challenges and minimise the attendant risks.
Madam Hayford, also mentioned Ghana had begun developing a road map that will guide the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (also referred to as the BBNJ Agreement, the High Seas Treaty or Global Ocean Treaty).
Dr Huyam Salih, the Director of AU-IBAR in a statement delivered on his behalf said the continent was endowed with networks of freshwater Rivers, Lakes, Seas, Oceans, that provide sources of livelihoods, food security and wealth.
He said to adequately harness the associated opportunities in the aquatic ecosystems, Blue Economy development was identified as a major role for Africa’s integrated socioeconomic transformation in the AU Agenda 2063.
Dr Salih said the Blue Economy strategy endorsed by AU Heads of States and Governments in 2020 as the blueprint to guide members to fully exploit the aquatic ecosystems endowments for an inclusive and sustainable Blue Economy would significantly contribute to Africa’s transformation and growth.
He called for the strengthening of the capacities of AU States to adhere to global best practices in conserving aquatic biodiversity and environmental management.
Madam Peace D. Gbeckor-Kove, a Principal Programme Officer at the Environmental Protection Agency, stated that Ghana had signed, ratified and domesticated a number of Conventions relating to Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation, Climate Change Mitigation and Environmental Management but others were yet to complete the full cycle.
“For now we have existing regulations, including Environment, Lands & Natural Resources, Fisheries, Energy, Transport and Water Resources Management,” she said.
Madam Gbeckor-Kove urged stakeholder institution to take action to ratify conventions that Ghana had signed onto but yet to be domesticated.
GNA