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Environmental Management Sub-Committee launched in Mion District

Mion District Assembly witnessed yet another historic event of inauguration of environmental management and sustainability sub-committee in Sang, the district capital.

Date Created : 6/9/2021 12:00:00 AM : Story Author : Mr Issah Sulemana Saaka/Ghanadistricts.com

The assertion that ‘’when the last tree dies the last man also dies’’ could not have been more appropriate and better placed. It is on the basis of this assertion that Mion district Assembly has in collaboration with one of its development partners, Catholic Relief Services, CRS initiated moves to constitute and subsequently inaugurated this committee as a governing and advisory body to the assembly on policy initiatives regarding environmental and related issues in the district.

Reversing Land Degradation in Africa by Scaling-up Evergreen Agriculture (Re-greening Africa) project is a project being implemented by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to support assembly in its efforts to roll out a workable enforcement plans to effect the enacted by-laws on environment. These by-laws were grouped into the following; the control of forest and trees, the control of manufacture of charcoal without assembly permit, and the control of bushfire for hunting.

The District Chief Executive Alhaji Mohammed Hashim Abdallah in delivering his welcome address was very categorical on the subject matter when he indictated that protecting the environment was at the heart of the core mandates of the assembly. Therefore, Re-greening Africa project intervention by CRS was in line with the assembly's development agenda.

The DCE therefore expressed gratitude for the establishment of the committee, saying that posterity will remember the institution for such a sustainable life changing intervention.

The DCE therefore used this auspicious occasion appeale to all stakeholders,including Chiefs, civil society groups, donor community and the rest of the development partners to continue to support in ways to generate ideas capable enough to guarantee its sustainability for generations yet unborn.

The Northern Regional Minister hon. Alhaj Shani Alhassan Shaibu who was the guest speaker, in his keynote address congratulated Mion District Assembly and Catholic Relief Services for their bold decision. He urged the committee and for that matter assembly to have special attention for the existing trees and focus more also on planting new ones. The hon. Regional Minister charged the chiefs, assembly members, political party actors, Civil Society Organizations, among others to see themselves as major stakeholders of this project.

The Regional Minister called on the committee members and all those concerned to show interest in the implementation of the by-laws to the latter without fear or favor. He further called on the CRS and other benevolent organizations to support the committee and the assembly with resources to meet at regular intervals for the sustainability of this project.

Alhaj Shani in his concluding statements respectfully reminded all and sundry of the "operation clean northern region campaign" that was launched and subsequently operationalised on the 29th day of May, this year. According to him his vision was to have a clean and healthy region to guarantee the growth and prosperity of people in the region.

The country representative for Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Mr. Danial Mumuni in his address, thanked His Excellency the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo for his Green Ghana Agenda. He called on everyone to support the government restore the nation’s forest ecosystem.

The CRS representative called for collective effort and behavioral change to achieve the desired objectives. According to him, behavior change will be the only antidote to the environmental problems that we face as a people.

Mr. Danial Mumuni mentioned rising temperatures, global warming, disaster and unpredictable rainfall pattern as some of the challenges associated with this environmental degradation.

The CRS country representative assured the committee and for that matter the Mion District Assembly of their continuous support.

The committee is made up of key decentralized departments, agencies and stakeholders with with rich background and expertise on matters of environment and natural resource management.