GEOSCIENCE SHOULD LEAD SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT-GOV'T.
Government
has urged geoscientists in Ghana to assert their influence on pragmatic
measures being adopted towards aligning the country’s development policies
towards attainment of the targets set out in the 17 Sustainable Development
Goals.
According to government, geoscientists, as professionals whose expertise
relate to investigations of the physical composition, structure and processes
of the earth, can significantly help in environmental assessment, locate water,
mineral and energy resources, while predicting geological disasters to affect
national development projects.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural
Resources in charge of Mining, Mrs. Barbara Oteng-Gyasi, made the call in the
Ashanti region at the opening of the 1st Annual National Conference
of the Ghana Institution of Geoscientists.
The three-day conference, which is
on the theme: “The Role of Geoscience in Sustainable National Development” is
being attended by geoscientists from Ghana, USA and Nigeria.
The President of
the Ghana Institution of Geoscientists, Alhaji Yakubu Iddrisu, called on
government to tap the expertise of geoscientist in developing good ground water
map for the country while sustainable measures against the harsh impact of the
climate change and other environmental hazards like erosion.
The Deputy
Minister for Lands and Natural Resource described geoscience as very important
to modern society considering the relevance of the subject to such crucial
national life such as in the areas of agriculture, energy, housing, music,
telecommunications, environmental management, construction, climate change,
natural hazards assessment, land planning as well as petroleum and mining
exploration.
Mrs. Oteng-Gyasi said government believes that experts in the
geoscience field should develop the most appropriate technologies for the
extraction of mineral resources to eliminate or minimize the negative effects
of mining processes as well as for the restoration of lands degraded through
irresponsible mining.
In an address read for him, the Ashanti Regional
Minister, Simon Osei Mensah, mentioned issues of sustainable environmental
management as a critical area that requires the greater input of geoscientists.
However, for their importance in society to be better appreciated, these
professionals must create public awareness about their institution to engender
public goodwill and support.
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