The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), Professor Eric Nyarko Sampson, has called for stronger collaboration with media practitioners in the Eastern Region to enable them to improve the public’s understanding of environmental sustainability and green innovation.
He stressed the need for media practitioners, especially journalists, to practise responsible reporting to help protect and preserve the environment and its natural resources for sustainable development.
Professor Sampson made the call at a two-day media training seminar organised by the UESD through its Nkabom Collaborative in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation at the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua.
Media engagement
The seminar, on the theme, “Reporting Green Innovation: Strengthening Media Engagement for Sustainable Development,” was aimed at sharpening journalists’ skills to report accurately and effectively on environmental issues, green innovation and sustainable development.
The event, which brought together journalists, editors and communication practitioners from the region, was to deepen their understanding of the university's green innovation agenda.
Environmental issues
It was also to brainstorm on environmental issues aimed at addressing inherent challenges to help media practitioners produce accurate, evidence-based, as well as impactful reportage on environmental sustainability, climate resilience and inclusive development.
Professor Sampson indicated that the pivotal role of the media in shaping public discourse and fostering a culture of sustainability through compelling storytelling on environmental sustainability and green innovation could not be underestimated.
He said the Mastercard Foundation-supported initiative sought to equip 55,000 Ghanaian youth, particularly women and other vulnerable groups, with skills in entrepreneurship, agro-waste management and aquaculture, while promoting innovation-driven solutions for sustainable development.
The collaborative, Professor Sampson explained, was implementing an Agro-Waste Management and Aquaculture Technology Entrepreneurship Initiative to transform agricultural waste into valuable products while equipping young people with business and entrepreneurial skills.
He, however, observed that large quantities of agricultural produce were lost through post-harvest losses, although many such discarded materials could be processed into marketable products.
Using mangoes as an example, Professor Sampson told the gathering that fruits rejected by commercial buyers often went to waste despite their potential value, explaining that mango seeds could be processed into butter, while the peels could be converted into other useful products.
For her part, the Administrator of the Nkabom Collaborative and Registrar of the UESD, Mary Abena Agyepong, called on journalists to be committed to advancing sustainable development through informed, responsible and impactful environmental journalism.
She indicated that as the world battled with climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and food insecurity, credible reporting on green innovation had become increasingly important.
The Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the UESD and Project Coordinator of the Nkabom Collaborative, Professor Edward Debrah Wiafe, said the increasing volume of agricultural waste in the country required innovative solutions.
He observed that large quantities of agricultural produce were lost through post-harvest losses, although many of the discarded materials could be processed into marketable products.
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