Day: June 1, 2023

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has pressed African nations to increase nationally determined contributions and adaptation plans to safeguard the ocean’s capacity to regenerate.

This would ensure that the ocean continues to deliver substantial economic, environmental, and social value for the continents’ development.

The President made the call when he opened the National Blue Economy Summit (NBES) in Accra on Wednesday.

The summit is on the theme ‘Our Ocean’s Health, Our Prosperity, Our Planet’s Security.’ It brought together blue economy experts to brainstorm and drive policy on the marine ecosystem.

The objective of the two-day summit is to reverse marine pollution and enhance the management and restoration of the marine and coastal ecosystem of the nation.

It also aims to mobilise transformative ocean action to achieve the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Blue economy refers to the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources for economic growth and improved livelihoods and jobs.

President Akufo-Addo explained that the health of the planet and the health of the peoples of the world are linked to the health of oceans, which are now under pressure from unsustainable fishing practices, pollution, marine debris, habitat loss, ocean acidification and climate change.

He told the gathering that the ocean, the lifeblood of the planet, generated half of the world’s oxygen supply, drove the global economy through transport trade, and provided food and sustenance, mineral resources, energy, employment, and livelihoods, as well as cultural recreation value for billions of people around the world.

‘The consequences of neglecting the ocean are dire not just for the millions of people who depend on it for their livelihoods, but also for the health of our planet.

‘There is therefore the need to preserve and protect the ocean and all its resources…We need to take decisive actions now to safeguard the ocean’s capacity to regenerate and continue to deliver substantial economic, environmental and social value for our development.’

President Akufo-Addo noted that in Ghana’s instance, its coastal exclusive economic zone stretches 218,00 square kilometres, and is home to over 7.5 million people.

Sadly, Ghana’s coastal and marine resources face significant threats in the form of biodiversity loss, pollution, ocean dumping, overfishing, illegal and unreported and unregulated fishing, piracy, and trafficking.

Those threats, the President said, ‘are avoidable’ and the inability to deal with them held consequences for the livelihoods of many people, affecting food security prospects, critical infrastructure, important ecosystems and the security and stability of the entire African region.

‘Like many other coastal African countries, the blue economy provides us with food, employment, and income. For instance, some 10 per cent of Ghana’s workforce is employed in the fishing sector which also accounts for 4.5 per cent of the country’s GDP.

‘Additionally, 70 per cent of Ghana’s trade is carried by sea through the ports of Tema and Takoradi. We are well positioned to benefit from the ocean resources if sustainably managed,’ he said.

The President thus proposed a five-point agenda for urgent action at the country and continental levels to protect the ocean, the planet, and the wellbeing of all.

He said the continent must prioritise sustainable management of its oceans by establishing and enforcing robust regulations to prevent overfishing and promote responsible fishing practices.

‘We must collaborate closely with our international partners as well to establish marine protected areas, safeguarding critical habitats and promoting biodiversity conservation.’

Secondly, the President suggested that Africa deepens strategic partnerships and build a progressive coalition led by the private sector, academia, civil society organisations and community leaders, for enhanced ocean health and the accelerated development of communities.

He said the Continent must be deliberate in ensuring greater and smarter investments into ocean action.

President Akufo-Addo also urged investment in research and technological advancements and innovation to navigate the challenges to the blue economy to pave the way for a brighter future.

He also called for international cooperation, the sharing of data and research findings and collaboration on joint projects.

‘We must recognize the interconnectivity of our global community and the need for international collaboration. The challenges facing the ocean transcend borders and no single nation can tackle them alone…We can leverage the collective wisdom and expertise of nations worldwide.

‘Together, we can drive innovation, develop sustainable solutions, and address the pressing issues that threaten the ocean. The ocean is the life source of our planet, a healthy ocean, human wellbeing, and sustainable ocean management are inseparably interconnected,’ he stressed.

He urged participants at the summit to, as a matter of urgency, propose policies that would help Ghana and the rest of the African continent protect its oceans and marine life.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Professor Eric Y. Danquah, Founding Director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), has called on African plant breeders to embrace new breeding technologies to ensure a sustainable food secure future.

They should develop climate-smart solutions, as well as equip farmers with the knowledge and tools to be more efficient and effective in developing new crop varieties to address food security for Africa’s growing populations.

Addressing the opening of the three-day celebration of WACCI’s 16th anniversary and alumni homecoming conference at the University of Ghana, Legon, on Tuesday, Prof Danquah noted that plant breeding offered vast sustainable opportunities to increasing food supply and dietary diversity in Africa.

He stressed that it was crucial for African plant breeders to push the boundaries of scientific research to enhance food production on the continent.

With Africa’s economy primarily driven by agriculture, Prof. Danquah, who is a Plant Geneticists at the Department of Crop Science of the College of Basic and Applied Sciences, University of Ghana, explained that there was an increasing need to leverage current plant breeding technology to develop new varieties of seedling and crops to counter the climate change effect on the continent.

He stated that adequate investment ought to be made put in crop Improvement technologies to increase food production to guarantee the present and future food needs of Africa.

In an interaction with the media on the sidelines of the event, Pro. Danquah said the WACCI’s plant breeding research had developed some robust food crops for Ghanaian farmers.

He disclosed that WACCI had introduced three highly resilient hybrid maize varieties to Ghanaian farmers.

However, 85 per cent of Ghanaian farmers still use old seedlings prone to infestation.

That situation, Prof. Danquah emphasized, would not help Ghana address her food challenges.

‘In fact, our varieties are such robust that if you use them in the northern sector in Ghana you cannot get less than six tons per hectare. Meanwhile, some farmers do not get even one ton per hectare of maize in their fields,’ he said.

He called for collaboration among plant geneticists, and innovation to empower the continent to realise its agricultural potential to ensure food security.

WACCI was established on March 12, 2008, with initial funding from the Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), as a collaborative partnership between the University of Ghana and Cornell University, USA to train the best generation of West African plant breeders at the PhD levels.

Over the past decade, the Centre has produced cutting-edge research to address the continent’s food security challenges.

WACCI currently has 105 PhDs and 40 MPhil graduates who are at the forefront of the battle against food and nutrition insecurity in 15 African countries.

The three-day anniversary programme will recognise and honour the exceptional contribution of WACCI alumni in addressing food and nutrition insecurity on the continent.

Source: Ghana News Agency