The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has appealed to media managers to support its operations by communicating activities it has undertaken to the populace.

The agency acknowledges that without the media, no one will know about its numerous laudable initiatives.

The EPA therefore held a meeting of stakeholders on Thursday, August 18, 2022 to discuss how they can support in the implementation of the project titled, “strengthening institutional capacity for the sustainable sound management of chemicals and wastes throughout their life cycle”.

The project also involves the implementation of the Basel, Rotterdam, Stockholm and Minamata conventions and Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) in Ghana. It is under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) special programme.

Addressing the media managers, the National Focal Person for Chemicals and Waste-related Multilateral Agreements, Dr. Sam Adu-Kumi said his outfit will need their support to communicate elements of the project to the general public.

To this end, he said a communication strategy has been developed to promote visibility and effective implementation of a 10-year strategic plan (2021-2030) for the sound management of chemicals in Ghana.

“The purpose of the meeting is therefore for you to review and endorse the communication strategy as appropriate to achieve the objective we have” Dr. Adu-Kumi said.

He noted that Ghana supports international efforts towards the sound management of chemicals and waste. “We are party to several chemical and waste –related Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and frameworks,“  Dr. Adu-Kumi added.

He thus urged the media managers to partner his outfit to educate the public on the harmful effects of chemicals and waste. Dr. Adu-Kumi stressed that with the help of modern technology, waste can be turned into something useful and this must be made known to the public.

Besides the media managers present, representatives of the Ghana Journalists Association, Private Newspaper Publishers Association, African University College of Communication, Wisconsin University among others, were in attendance.

The General Secretary of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr. Edmund Kofi Yeboah on behalf of the media managers pledged their commitment to support the EPA. He stressed the need for partnership but added that EPA must in turn help develop the capacity of media personnel to enable them communicate effectively about the agency's projects.