Government told to enforce legislations on introduction of exotic species

Accra, June 25, GNA - Professor Emmanuel Owusu-Bennoah, Director General of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on Wednesday called on government to strictly enforce national legislations on the introduction of specific exotic species into the country. He said this was necessary in the wake of threats that some exotic species, such as the water hyacinth and the pulp paper mulberry were posing to aquatic ecosystems in the country.

Prof. Owusu-Bennoah made the call at the opening of a two-day National Mid-Term Review Workshop on the United Nation's Environment Programme and Global Environment Facility Project on Removing Barriers to Invasive Plant Management in Africa. The project is aimed at ensuring effective management of Invasive Aqua Species (IAS) and the implementation of the Invasive Species Programme of Action Plan on the Environment Initiative of NEPAD adopted by the Second Assembly of Heads of States of the African Union held in Maputo, Mozambique in July 2003. Prof. Owusu-Bennoah explained that IAS occurrence in the country was partly the result of deliberate introduction of species for agro-forestry, forest plantation development or research, while others were also introduced as ornamentals without any knowledge on their threats. He indicated that institutions tasked to control IAS were also under resourced and could therefore not perform the task well, hence the need to strengthen them to be effective.

The Director-General said the project would therefore commit over 10.3 million dollars, of which 4.3 million dollars would be government co-financed by four pilot countries, Ghana, Ethiopia, Uganda and Zambia to provide an enabling policy environment to manage IAS. Government, he stated, had committed itself to provide an in cash co-financing contribution of 125,000 dollars per annum for four years to ensure the smooth implementation of the project. He explained that the project would support The Pant Protection and Regulatory Services under the Ministry of food and Agriculture, CSIR and the Volta River Authority considering that the aquatic weeds could threaten the Akosombo Dam.

Mr Felix Jerry Akpabey, Deputy National Coordinator of the project said the effects of aquatic weeds on the economy were enormous, saying that it was depriving several fishermen of their source of livelihood, affecting water transportation, serving as breeding grounds for mosquitoes and threatening water bodies. He noted that the aquatic weeds have invaded most river bodies, saying this was more serious on the Oti River, which supplies about 40 per cent of the Volta Lake and this could threathen the Akosombo Dam. Mr. Akpabey said there was therefore the need to build capacity of security personnel on the country's borders to check entry of such species said aquatic weeds.

Mr. Kweku Amoako Atta deGraft-Johnson, National Coordinator or the project expressed worry that most sub-Saharan African countries did not have effective policies, institutional environment and capacity to address issues of IAS. He explained that the workshop was aimed at providing participants the opportunity to access impact of the project so far and share ideas on ways to improve on performance.