Ghana,UNDP Sign $1.3m Pact To Train Environmentalist

Accra, (Greater Accra) 17 Sept.,

Ghana and the UNDP today signed a 1.3 million-dollar agreement to train personnel at the district level to incorporate environmental concerns in their development planning. Mr Victor Selormey, Deputy Minister of Finance and Mr Abdoulie Janneh, Resident Representative of the UNDP, initialled for their respective organisations at a ceremony in Accra. The agreement which is supporting Ghana's three-year "Capacity 21 Programme" will cover eight districts on a pilot basis. In line with the recommendations of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Ghana developed a programme to build its capacity and strengthen the requisite human and national institutions to enable her carry out sustainable development planning. Five districts - Bongo, Juabeso-Bia, Afram Plains, Dangme West and the Accra Metropolitan Assembly - which are beneficiaries of the National Poverty Reduction Programme, have been selected for the programme. Three other districts with different data sensitivities will be chosen to make the programme representative. Mr Selormey said NGOs, community organisations, traditional authorities, primary and secondary schools, women's organisations among others, will be trained to make decisions about the environment to facilitate their participation in efforts to use natural resources judiciously. Legislation at the district level will be reviewed to enhance enforcement of regulations and guidelines to promote sustainable development while groups will be formed to monitor development activities. "We are all aware that in Accra, the Korle Lagoon has been heavily polluted with all sorts of waste. What we want to do is to train the local people to appreciate the need to protect water bodies for their continuous benefit. "People in areas where bush burning and the felling of trees are rampant, will also find means of conserving the forests while they utilise what is available". Mr Janneh said Ghana is the first country, south of the Sahara, to benefit from the Capacity 21 fund which assists developing countries to incorporate sustainable development activities in their development planning. He said Ghana was selected because of her seriousness and preparedness to implement the recommendations of the Earth Summit.