The University of Education, Winneba (UEW), has held its Fourth Annual Colloquium, bringing together academics, traditional leaders and students to examine Ghana’s environmental challenges and the governance failures contributing to them.

The event, organised by the university’s Department of Political Science Education on Wednesday, 2 September 2026, was held on the theme: “Politics, the Environment, and Our Future: Ghana at Crossroads?”

Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, and the Chief of Akyem Essase (Apaapam), Baffour K.S. Sikabede, were among the speakers at the colloquium.

Delivering the keynote address to participants, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said Ghana’s inability to manage its environment was driven by corruption and inadequate technological capacity.

“The poverty gap is a technology gap. And our inability to manage our own environment has two engines, not one: corruption and the absence of technological capacity,” he said.

He argued that science and technology must be integrated into Ghana’s development planning instead of being treated as an afterthought.

Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said the country’s progress should be measured by its ability to feed, clothe, house, heal and defend its people, as well as manufacture the tools and machinery required for national development.

Baffour Sikabede, who was the guest of honour, called on the government to recognise traditional authorities as partners in environmental protection.

He urged state agencies to consult and adequately resource chiefs before granting mining concessions on stool lands, rather than engaging them after environmental damage had occurred.

“To government and its agencies, consult and resource traditional authorities before concessions are granted on stool lands, not after the land has been damaged,” he said.

The chief also declared that no illegal mining operation would be permitted on Akyem Essase lands during his reign.

He maintained that Ghana did not lack environmental legislation but needed the courage to enforce existing laws equally against both small-scale miners and politically connected concession holders.

The colloquium provided a platform for participants to examine the relationship between political decision-making, technological development and environmental sustainability, as Ghana confronts the destruction of its forests, farmlands and water bodies.

Watch the entire event below.