Accra, March 27, Ghanadot/GNA - Mrs Sherry Ayittey, Minister for
Environment, Science and Technology, on Friday urged the
European Union (EU) to regulatethe flow of e-waste into the
country.
"Ghana has become a dumping ground for electronic waste and it
is about time the EU puts in place regulations that would
minimize the inflow of e-waste into the country since large
volumes could lead to environmental hazards," she said.
Mrs Ayittey made the call when a three-member EU delegation paid
a courtesy call on her at the office.
The delegation, which was led by Mrs Lid Remmelzwaal, Ambassador
of Netherlands to Ghana, included Mr Jannik Vaa Head of
Infrastructure and Sustainable Development Section at EU and Dr
Tony van der Zon, First Secretary of Environment and Water
Advisor at Netherlands Embassy.
The Minister said the Ministerial Advisory Council and the
National Action Plan for Sustainable Development would work
towards reducing all forms of pollution and depletion of the
country's natural resources as well as mitigating the effects of
climate change.
"Ghana used to have a full forest cover but poor management of
natural resources led to the loss of six per cent of Gross
Domestic Product (GDP) which could have been used to tackle
poverty eradication in the country."
Mrs Ayittey said government had plans to reduce the dependency
on rain fed agriculture by putting in place irrigation schemes
for farmers.
She gave the assurance that government would work towards
protecting the interest of the fishing community, civil society
and other stakeholders when investors went into the petroleum
industry.
Mrs Ayittey appealed to the EU and other development partners to
support the ministry in mitigating the effects of climate change
and minimizing environmental pollution.
Mrs Remmelzwaal urged government to involve civil society in
pursuit of its development agenda and promote transparency and
accountability in the distribution of natural resources.
She said climate change had become a global challenge, which
must be addressed and advised that more resources are channelled
into the preservation of the environment.
GNA