Report By: Ishmael Barfi
Alhaji Mohammed Saani Adams, Director of Youth Development and Empowerment Directorate at the Ministry of Youth Development & Empowerment, has emphasized the importance of natural resource accounting and sustainable management in Ghana.
While representing the Minister for Youth Development & Empowerment, Hon. George Opare Addo Esq., at the African Youth Conference on Natural Resources and Environmental Governance (AYC) 2025, Alhaji Adams highlighted that natural resources are being depleted without adequate consideration for long-term sustainability and the impacts on future generations.
Alhaji Adams stressed that district assemblies must understand the value of natural resources through natural resource accounting to ensure their sustainable utilization.
SYND Board Member, Oko Nerquaye-Tetteh
He emphasized that resources are meant for the current and future generations, underscoring the need for responsible management.
The African Youth Conference (AYC) on Natural Resources and Environmental Governance 2025 organised by Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) and supported by Ford Foundation,Big Shift Global, PowerShift Africa, Africa Climate Reality Project (ACRP),
was under the theme: “Transforming Africa’s Natural Resources Governance Through Youth-Led Solutions.”
The conference brought young people across the Africa continent and beyond to brainstorm on critical issues in relation to natural resource Governance through yourh-led solutions.
Regarding youth empowerment and involvement, he urged the youth to take an interest in resource accounting and the sustainable management of natural resources within their respective regions.
Dr. Joseph Daniel Onoja, Director for the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF)
“The youth are the future and should be concerned about how resources are used in their country and assemblies,” he reiterated.
He also noted that investment in youth development in Ghana is lower compared to regions like Europe, highlighting an urgent need for increased investment and a coordinated approach.
He believes that this can be achieved through education and awareness, emphasizing the importance of helping people in various sectors—such as streets, markets, and farms—understand natural resource management and sustainable practices.
Alhaji mohammed Saani Adams lamented that traditional practices like crop rotation, which were once used to maintain soil and environmental health, have diminished.
Outlining some benefits of natural resource accounting, Alhaji Mohammed Saani Adams indicated that knowing the value of natural resources helps in appropriately valuing and sustainably utilizing them.
Executive Coordinator-SYND Chibeze Ezekiel
Furthermore, understanding the value of natural resources can attract investors and inform contractual agreements, allowing district assemblies to develop their areas using these resources without solely relying on central government support.
He disclosed that the Ministry of Youth & Development is working towards institutional renewal and creating a unified front for youth development that includes natural resource and environmental issues.
Alhaji Adams stressed that natural resources belong to future generations and must be sustained for their benefit.
Some foreign delegates at the AYC25
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
