Ghana seeks Canada's assistance to clear garbage

Professor Dominic Fobih, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST), on Tuesday said sanitation has become a major problem for the government and urged Canada to help find a permanent solution to it.

"Canada should assist Ghana to find the appropriate technology in disposing of solid waste to rid our cities of sanitation problems", Prof Fobih said when the Canadian High Commissioner, Mr Jean-Pierre Bolduc paid a courtesy call on him.

He said the government was also concerned about food security, water preservation and deforestation and appealed to Mr Bolduc to consider those issues in his Mission's assistance programmes.

Canada could also assist Ghana in agriculture by strengthening research in the cultivation and preservation of food items for export to meet international standards.

"We need support in training research personnel to manage our environment more efficiently."

Prof Fobih expressed the hope that the visit would be the "beginning of a new relationship between the two countries in their collaboration efforts".

Mr Bolduc said the issue of food security has been at the core of Canada's programmes and it would not do "anything that would not benefit Ghanaians".

He said all other concerns raised by the Minister were in line with Canada's assistance programmes and gave the assurance that Canada would assist.

Mr Bloduc urged the government to handle and sustain the Ghana Regional Appropriate Technology Industrial Research (GRATIS) project as it entered its third stage.

GRATIS is a Canadian industrial research project under which personnel are trained in appropriate technologies and is being handled by CIDA.