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Dr Kwaku Afriyie – Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation
Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Kwaku Afriyie said it was time for the nation to severely punish individuals who fill wetlands or Ramsar sites and there erect structures.
The phenomenon, he said, led to flooding and other negative social repercussions and called on the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development, which had a mandate to enforce the law on land use planning, to crack the whip.
He cited cases where wetlands in Kumasi have been filled for various projects by individuals, noting that some chiefs have sold these areas and called for a national conversation to address the situation.
Dr Afriyie made the remarks at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday when responding to a question about the encroachment of Ramsar sites in the country.
He said he had had discussions with Mr. Daniel Kwaku Botwe, the local government minister, on the encroachment of Ramsar sites to ensure that action was taken to deal with the threat.
Dr Afriyie said the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) was a catalyst that provided the platform for other ministries to take action, adding that the next phase of the country’s socio-economic development would focus on science, technology and environment.
He announced that the President had given consent to MESTI to set up a business unit to market certain innovations.
On nuclear power, Dr Afriyie said five countries have expressed interest in partnering with Ghana for nuclear power development, including the United States, Canada, South Korea and Russia.
He said the nation has a lot of technical expertise in the development of nuclear power and has mapped some sites for the installation of related infrastructure.
The minister said that for Ghana to develop its bauxite and aluminum industry, it was imperative to harness the capabilities of nuclear power for this business.
On climate change, Dr Afriyie said Ghana has received $ 103 million in support from the World Bank to undertake climate change mitigation actions.
Regarding the rising cost of liquefied petroleum gas, the minister said it was a temporary aberration and believed that if the economy normalized, the prices of the raw material would fall.
GNA
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