Environment must be given prominence in manifestoes-EPA

Togbe Akliku Ahorney II, the Volta Regional Environmental Officer, on Wednesday said issues of environment must be given prominence in political parties’ manifestoes.

This is because the resources needed to meet the challenges of national development are linked to the environment.

Togbe Akliku Ahorney told the GNA in an interview that, attention needed to be given to the country’s forest reserves which are fast depleting.

He appealed to the government to encourage the regeneration of the forest reserves and to focus on value addition to the country’s natural resources.

The chief called for the promotion of lesser known timber species to save the forest resources, and added that, for instance, bamboo grows 100 times faster than timber. He urged government to encourage developers to appreciate the usefulness of bamboo and build infrastructure that were environmentally friendly.

He said the country was under-utilizing its water resources and that “good” use of such resources would promote sustainable growth.**