Sustainable environment experts and advocates are emphasising the need for academia and industry players to work collaboratively to tackle environmental and climate crises.

They observed actors in the sectors have in the past worked in silos in achieving the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.  

Despite contributing less to the world’s emissions, Africa continues to bear the brunt of the harsh weather conditions, impacting negatively on livelihoods and productivity.

Farms across Ghana are recording lower yields, threatening food security, while many market women and people endure the sweltering weather.

Including the 17 sustainable development goals and other global agreements, little is being done by the country to achieve a sustainable society. 

Experts are imploring the government and the citizenry to be proactive for a progressive nation.

Dr. Christian Sewordor Mensah is the Executive Director for the Centre for Business Incubation. 

“If we don’t stop polluting the environment, we will soon get choked. Animals are getting extinct in the Kenyan region when it is fast approaching the sub-Saharan region. We need to act immediately. We need to act through research. That’s why we have presented this platform so that academicians and industry will have the realization that some actions are impacting the world negatively or positively,” he said.  

He spoke ahead of a two-day international conference on Environment, Social Entrepreneurship, Governance, and Sustainability in Africa. 

The conference would gather both local and foreign industry players and academia to deliberate and recommend sustainable solutions to address environmental and climate challenges in Ghana and Africa. 

Conference Chairperson, Prof De-graft Owusu Manu, stressed the essence of collaboration for practical solutions to the menace.

“We’ve found out there’s a missing link. If the academicians meet and discuss issues on sustainability, the real players that are supposed to take their discussion forward by way of implementing it aren’t there. For this conference, we are bringing everybody on board to bridge the gap so that the industry can take it up commercially,” he said.

The maiden event dubbed ICESDA2024 is on the theme: “Enhancing Environment, Social, Governance and Sustainability for Africa’s Development".