Ghana is developing a national climate change learning strategy to equip the public with the right set of skills and knowledge as part of efforts to address the impact of climate change.
The development of the strategy, which is a requirement under article six of the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention (UNFCC), is also aimed at making the public understand the causes of climate change better.
The Minister of Environment,Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Mahama Ayariga, stated this in an address delivered on his behalf by the Chief Director of the Ministry, Ms Salimata Abdul-Salam at a workshop in Accra.
The workshop was attended by officials of educational institutions, civil society organisations, youth groups, ministries, departments and agencies, private sector and development partners,as well as the academia.
It was aimed at kick-starting the development of Ghana’s climate change strategy.
Include the wider society
Mr Ayariga said there was the need to develop the learning strategy since climate change was scientifically complex and was accompanied by economic, social and political ramifications.
“The capacity to translate scientific evidence to viable social policies comes not only with the understanding of science experts, but also the capacity to effectively disseminate and translate scientific findings for the understanding of all stakeholders”, he said.
Given the wider impact of climate change, he said, capacity building needed to be rolled out to include the wider society,namely the private sector, media, non-governmental organisations and local communities.
“Current capacity gaps include the challenge of translating the complex climate science into messages that will resonate with the wider public. The development of national climate change learning strategy will enable us to implement our priority education and training actions,” he added.
Ghana is 8th country to develop strategy
The United Nations (UN) Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Ms Christine Evans-Klock, in a remark,said Ghana was the eighth partner country among the 196 parties to the UN Framework Convention to launch a national learning strategy.
The learning strategy and actions supported by the UN, she said, were not isolated activities but rather undertakings which were aimed at strengthening existing initiatives in Ghana such as the low emission capacity building programme, the African Adaptation Programme,among others.
The head of Cooperation and Counsellor of the Embassy of Switzerland, Mr Mathias Fedmann, who delivered an address on behalf of the Swiss Ambassador to Ghana, said in the light of changing climatic conditions, politicians, managers, teachers, farmers, urban planners, among other professionals, needed to acquire new knowledge and skills.
Source: graphic.com.gh
