Samira Bawumia with some dignitaries at the conference
Wife of the Vice-President, Samira Bawumia has advocated for a youth-led approach in dealing with issues on climate change, given the energy and innovation required to change the discourse and policies on climate change for sustainable development.
Speaking at the Africa women and children conference (AFRIWOCC) pre-COP youth climate dialogue in Accra on Tuesday, she mentioned that the unprecedented climate crisis facing the world today requires innovative solutions to address them. She emphasised the need to actively engage the youth who are endowed with those creative abilities.
She said, “The theme signifies a collective acknowledgement that the youths are not just the leaders of tomorrow, but the architects of today’s transformative actions.
“In the context of the unprecedented climate crisis confronting us, the energy, the drive, innovation and commitment of the youth are indispensable in steering our planet towards a sustainable and resilient future.”
She said the AFRIWOCC conference, therefore, deems it important to shape the conversations on climate change beyond just rhetoric and commitment to tangible actions.
Mrs. Bawumia further stated that for climate actions to be achieved, it was imperative that the voices of African youths were elevated while advocating for youth-led climate initiatives that would inspire, and ensure that youth leaders inspire and offer solutions and stories that drive climate agenda.
She also commended various youth advocates for their passion and commitment to driving positive change towards a collective journey aimed at becoming solution architects and ambassadors of climate change.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo, for her part, said the conference offered the platform for the youths to actively brainstorm, and develop innovative solutions which could be leveraged upon to address climate change, sustainable development and gender-related issues affecting women and children from the African perspective.
According to her, issues pertaining to climate change and its related problems should be of concern to all Ghanaians due to its far-reaching impact. The Vice-Chancellor who cited the example of human actions such as generation of  power, manufacturing of goods, clearing of the vegetation for settlement among others, said all those actions have contributed to  very terrible climatic conditions.
Such human actions, she believes, would be addressed if young people take interest on climate actions, which would go a long way to inspire others to provide indigenous solutions that will help impact policy decisions as well as contribute to the achievement of the UN sustainable goals.
She also commended Samira Bawumia for her bold and pioneering initiative towards climate action which seeks to project the voice and action of African youths on climate issues.
Some youth advocates on climate change also shared their perspectives, innovative ideas and solutions in dealing with climate change, while other companies exhibited climate friendly products at the event.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah