Kumasi: Environmentalist and climate expert Madam Afua Serwah Akoto Prempeh has urged the media to leverage their influence to stimulate informed conversations and shape narratives as the nation grapples with the impacts of climate change. Speaking at the opening session of the Second Biennial Media Forum on Natural Resources, Environment, Climate Change, and Science (BiM-NECS Forum 2) in Kumasi, she called for the nation to build and strengthen more resilient infrastructure systems to mitigate these impacts.
According to Ghana News Agency, Proforest, a non-profit organization that collaborates with companies, the private sector, governments, NGOs, and communities across various sectors, works to help deliver commitments to people, nature, and climate. Madam Prempeh emphasized the significant role of the media in shaping national discourses, urging them to amplify the voices of marginalized and minority groups affected by climate change.
The forum, organized by the Media Platform on Environment and Climate Change (MPEC), the Afro-Sino Centre of International Relations (ASCIR), and the Steminist Foundation Ghana, was attended by senior journalists, editors, and media practitioners from the Bono, Bono East, and Ashanti Regions. The theme for the forum was 'Ecosystem restoration: The politics, the science, the human, and the economy'.
Madam Prempeh highlighted the threats posed to the nation's water bodies, forests, and vegetative cover due to climate change, which significantly impacts the economy, food security, and livelihoods. She stressed the importance of increasing risk preparedness systems and described journalists as advocates for the planet.
Professor Mercy Afua Adutwumwaa Derkyi, Director in-Charge of Quality Assurance and Academic Planning at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), urged the media to lead efforts in restoring and preserving the nation's ecosystem. She called for effective collaboration to achieve robust afforestation, reforestation, and landscape restoration, noting that reliance on donor funding is unsustainable. She emphasized an interdisciplinary approach for the restoration agenda, advocating for inclusive partnerships among stakeholders.
Mrs. Mary Ama Kudom-Agyemang, Executive Director of MPEC, provided a brief history of the BiM-NECS Forum, stating it was conceived in 2023 as a platform for media practitioners in Ghana and other parts of Africa to reflect on, debate, and share experiences regarding their role in the governance of natural resources, environment, climate change, and science.