Prof. Gyan Baffour
Government has launched the sixth edition of
the National Policy Summit.
This year’s summit is scheduled to take place
at the University of Cape Coast in the Central Region from 26-27 May, 2019.
The summit would focus on fisheries and
sanitation.
Ministers of Fisheries and Aquaculture
Development and Water Resources and Sanitation, Elizabeth Ofoley Quaye and
Cecilia Abena Dapaah, are billed to speak at the forum.
Minister of Planning and Development, Prof. Gyan
Baffour, launched the summit on Monday, May 20, 2019, at the Information
Ministry with a reminder of the wanton destruction to aquatic species.
According to him, this year’s theme is in line
with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
He said “per the theme for this first National
Policy Summit for 2019, you will agree with me that issues related to fisheries
are consistent with SDG 14: life below water.”
He said that “the goal recommends that we
conserve and use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainably. The
oceans make human life possible and that more than 3 billion people depend on
marine and coastal diversity for their livelihoods, but today we are seeing
nearly a third of the world fish stock overly exploited.”
According to him, “That is not sustainable.
Oceans absorb about 30 per cent of the carbon dioxide that humans produce, but
the records show that more carbon dioxide is being produced than ever before
and that makes the oceans extra acidic.”
He stated that “our rubbish doesn’t help either
about 13,000 pieces found on every square kilometre of the ocean, it’s a huge
challenge.”
“In the same vein SDG 6 encourages availability
and sustainable management of water and provides sanitation for all.”
“As we all know, clean accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in, and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this.”
By Melvin Tarlue
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