NCCE needs resources for environmental campaign - GEJA

Accra, Sept. 23, GNA - The Ghana Environmental Journalists Associat= ion (GEJA), a group that creates awareness about environmental challenges in th= e country, on Friday called on the government to adequately resource the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to enable them embark on a vigorous environmental campaign.

The NCCE in an earlier interaction with some members of GEJA said the Commission is seriously under resourced and could not discharge its constitutional duties including educating all Ghanaians about acts that are dangerous to the sustainability of the environment.

A statement issued and signed jointly by Mrs Hannah Awadzi and Mr Isaac Kaledzi, President and Secretary of the Association respectively, sai= d the NCCE had expressed the desire to embark on a vigorous environmental campaign in schools and communities but was unable to do so for lack of resources.

"We believe doing so will aid other efforts by various organization= s to address the growing destruction of the environment which is a threat to the sustainability of our environment," the statement said. The statement referred to a Daily Graphic publication on Thursday September 22, 2011 that cited the Forestry Commission of Ghana also expressing concern over the activities of chainsaw operators, who continued to engage in illegally logging against the country's laws. The Commission said the activities of the chainsaw operators were depleting the country's forest reserve, exposing the environment to great danger.

The statement said such incidence were a source of worry to the Ghana Environmental Journalists Association (GEJA) and if not checked quickly would destroy the environment which is supposed to sustain the lives of the current and future generations.