Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) has launched the maiden edition of the National Youth Conference on Natural resources and environmental governance.

The conference is aimed at including the youth in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of environmental issues.

Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, March 22, the Network said active participation of youth in the Natural Resources and Environmental (NRE) sector was key to achieving the country’s environmental sustainability ambitions.

The NRE sector plays a significant role in the country’s economic growth, as such, over the past years, it has helped transform the economy, with revenue contribution valued at approximately 67 percent of exports and 15.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP).

However, the cost of environmental degradation due to unsustainable use of land for agriculture, forests, and mining stands at 2.8 percent of the national GDP.

On the back of this, SYND has called for a collective approach involving the youth to help strike a balance between using the environment for economic gain and protecting it.

Also, climate change lead at SYND, Patience Agyekum said the conference will help build strong collaboration between relevant state agencies and young environmentalists as well as fuel the country’s sustainability drive.

She added that it will create and deepen partnerships and enhance synergies between young advocates and other key actors toward attaining the country’s commitment to the Africa Agenda 2063 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The conference will also serve as a platform for young green entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative climate and waste management solutions to attract partnerships and investments.

It will further provide an opportunity for the private sector to showcase its contribution to the Environment, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles.

Lecturer at the Marine and Fisheries Sciences department at the University of Ghana, Dr. Andrews Agyekumhene commended the group for the initiative adding that the launch of the conference on NREG is a milestone that requires the needed push.

“The youth needs to be in involved the conservation efforts. If we take the youth from the equation, we might fail. Also, we need strong institutions to implement our laws. We are failing as a country if we have good laws and cannot use those laws to protect our resources,” he said.