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 region to enable them to improve public understanding of environmental sustainability and green innovation reporting.
He said there was, therefore, the need for media practitioners, especially journalists, to always engage in responsible reporting on such crucial areas.
That, he stated, would enable them to play important roles in protecting and preserving 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, yesterday.
Media engagement
The seminar, with the theme, “Reporting Green Innovation: Strengthening Media Engagement for Sustainable Development”, was to sharpen the skills of journalists to enable them to report effectively and accurately on environmental issues, green innovation and sustainable development.
The event, which brought together journalists, editors and communication practitioners from the region, was also to deepen their understanding of the university’s green innovation agenda.
Environmental issues
It was also to brainstorm on environmental issues and address inherent challenges so that media practitioners would produce accurate, evidence-based and impactful reportage on environmental sustainability, climate resilience and inclusive development.
Storytelling
Professor Sampson indicated that the 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.
Skills training
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 of the discarded materials could be processed into marketable products.
Mango seeds
Using mangoes as an example, Professor Sampson told the gathering that fruits rejected by commercial buyers often went to waste despite their potential value. He explained that mango seeds could be processed into butter, while the peels could be converted into other useful products.
Agricultural waste
Professor Sampson further explained that the collaborative 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.
Education
He also urged journalists to take a proactive role in educating the general public about environmental sustainability issues.
For her part, the Administrator of the Nkabom Collaborative, who is also the Registrar of the UESD, Mrs Mary Abena Agyepong, called on journalists to help address challenges affecting the environment.
She stated that responsible reporting would help change the negative perception of people who destroyed or polluted the environment.
Sustainable development
Mrs Agyepong said journalists should be committed to advancing sustainable development in relation to the environment through informed, responsible and impactful journalism.
The Nkabom Collaborative, she said, was an initiative of the UESD management.
Policy discourse
Mrs Agyepong indicated that the media remained one of the most influential institutions in shaping public understanding, influencing policy discourse and driving behavioural change.
Evidence-based
She stated that as the world continued to confront pressing environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and food insecurity, there was a need for accurate, evidence-based and compelling reporting on green innovation.
Environmental sustainability
Mrs Agyepong said the seminar had been designed to strengthen the capacity of media professionals to understand and effectively report on stories of innovation that promoted environmental sustainability, climate resilience and inclusive development.
Behavioural change
The media, Mrs Agyepong stated, remained one of the most influential institutions in shaping public understanding, influencing policy discussions and promoting behavioural change.
Climate change
She indicated that as the world battled climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution and food insecurity, credible reporting on green innovation had become increasingly important.
Mrs Agyepong explained that the training was designed to improve journalists’ capacity to identify, understand and effectively communicate stories on innovations that promoted environmental sustainability and climate resilience.
Public awareness
She added that quality reporting would not only increase public awareness of sustainable practices but also provide policymakers with reliable information for decision-making, while giving innovators the visibility needed to scale up their solutions.
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.
