The Director of Institute for Natural Resources in Africa under the United Nations University, Dr Elias T. Ayuk, has commended Ghana for its commitment to support research into natural resource management in Africa.
He said Ghana was one of the few African countries that were committed to contributing to the institution’s endowment fund through the Ministry of Education.
Dr Ayuk made the commendation when he and a board member of the institute, Professor Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah, paid a courtesy call on the UN Special Envoy on Climate Change, former President John Agyekum Kufuor in Accra.
He congratulated former President Kufuor on his appointment as the UN Special Envoy on Climate Change.
Research fund
Dr Ayuk indicated that the fund was meant to support research into natural resources management in Africa to inform policy formulation and implementation.
He, therefore, appealed to former President Kufuor to use his new position to influence other African leaders to emulate Ghana’s example by contributing to the fund to support the institute to achieve its mandate.
He reiterated the commitment of the institute to support the country and other Africa countries to tackle the menace of climate change and natural
resource-related issues that were affecting development.
“We are committed to achieving our mission to empower African researchers to carry out quality studies to provide evidence-based recommendations for African leaders to improve the management of natural resources in order to alleviate poverty on the continent,” he said.
Focus
Dr Ayuk noted that the institute’s current focus was harnessing land and water resources, as well as the governance and management of the extractive industry.
He emphasised the institute’s readiness to continue to make research reports and policy briefs available to inform African leaders on the need for the judicious use of natural resources to help improve livelihoods.
JAK
Former President Kufuor applauded the UN University’s institute for its contribution to improving scientific knowledge on natural resource management in Africa.
He urged the institute to continue to enhance the capacity of African researchers to undertake studies on climate change and other issues that were impacting negatively on the growth of the continent.
