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