Upon his assumption as Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ebenezer Oduro Owusu has been vocal on myriad of issues of national importance.
Recent of all is declaring Ghana in a state of emergency should he be the President of Ghana. Professor Owusu Oduro’s call was informed by the poor sanitation and the degradation of our arable lands with its related challenges.
According to him the country is in crisis as a result of the insanitry environment in which we live in and scientists in the country must begin to re-think of effective ways of applying technology and innovation in waste management.
“Our nation is bleeding for sanitation assistance. A nation that is bleeding for sanitization and for us as scientists the question is how do we sanitize our nation?.” Prof. Owusu Oduro said.
The Vice Chancellor made these comments when he chaired the 15th Biennial Workshop of the Ghana Science Association (GSA) in Accra.
The workshop was on the theme: “Efficient Waste and Sanitation Management for sustainable Development: The Role of Science, Technology and Innovation.”
The program was to examine alternative waste management, best practices, attract investment, sensitize policy makers to make and enforce sanitation bye-laws as well as ways of ensuring attitudinal change among the public towards sanitation and waste management.
Professor Owusu Oduro further lamented on the inappropriate disposal mechanism practiced in Ghana and the negative effects of galamsey activities on agriculture productivity. This phenomenon he said if not checked would leave the nation with no arable land for agricultural activities.
“The sad point is that; those who are doing this kind of business are protecting their own lands in their country. Our minerals are taken out of the country with little or none been retained.” he said.
Professor Owusu Oduro also said the beauty of our cities are being destroyed day-in day-out with pockets along the streets filled with garbages and nobody seems to care.
“It is very difficult nowadays to differentiate between the literate and illiterate Ghanaian.” he added.
Professor Owusu Oduro indicated that the causative agents of our woes are known but the political will to effect the needed change is conspicuously left out.
He also reiterated the need for our traditional leaders, the custodians of our lands, not to lease the lands for illegal mining activities.
“Why can’t we be bold enough to say plastics are our problem so let us do away with it?…Rwanda was bold enough to take political decision and stand by those decisions.” Prof. Owusu Oduro noted.
Professor Ebenezer Owusu Oduro however called on government to put in place tighter measures to regulate the mining of minerals in Ghana.
He also tasked all stakeholders to continue interrogating systems that will help inform the character moulding of Ghanaians to be translated into deep attitudinal changes; right from the basic schools through to tertiary level and trickling down to the households.
By: Emmanuel Dzivenu/ Radio Univers 105.7FM
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