Ghana is considering seeking a designated site for the establishment of a global geopark, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Dr Kwaku Afriyie, has announced.
A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not only geology but also other relevant sciences.
Ghana currently has no geoparks, however United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) which is spearheading this in its global geoparks is to support sustainable development through
conservation, education, community engagement and sustainable tourism.
The minister said the move led by the National Commission for UNESCO would preserve and showcase the nation’s unique geological heritage and open new possibilities for environmental conservation and sustainable tourism within the country and beyond.
The minister disclosed this in a speech read on his behalf by the Director of Finance at MESTI, Constant Gladzah, at a two-day forum jointly organised by UNESCO Abuja and Accra offices, in collaboration with the Earth Sciences and Geoparks section of UNESCO Headquarters in Accra on Tuesday.
The forum aimed at supporting UNESCO member states with the capacity to mobilise funds to establish UNESCO Global Geoparks in West Africa.
It brought together stakeholders from Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria to be equipped with knowledge of the UNESCO International Geoscience Geoparks Programme (IGGP) and operational guidelines for UNESCO Global Geoparks with a focus on the procedure of establishing National Geopark Committees and nomination of Geoparks.
According to the minister, out of the 195 UNESCO Global Geoparks in 48 countries, Africa could only boast of two situated in Morocco and Tanzania.
That, he said was worrying, hence significant for other African countries to carefully subject themselves to the assessment and criteria for the designation of sites for the establishment of the geoparks on the continent.
“This initiative is not a competition, it is a common good for not only our countries but the world at large. The more Geoparks we have in the world, the better for our very own environment; the very source of our sustenance,” he added.
The UNESCO Regional Director for West Africa, Mr Dimitri Sanga, said one of the mandates of UNESCO was to use its convening power for cooperation and knowledge sharing for productive outputs that support sustainable development in its member states.
To this end, he said the forum would provide a platform for sharing knowledge on UNESCO Global Geoparks and how Geoparks contribute to the sustainable development of the countries.
“Geoparks also give local people around and within the geopark a sense of pride and encourage the creation of innovative local enterprises, high-quality training, protection of geological resources of the area and generation of new sources of revenue through geo-tourism,” he added. Mr Sanga urged the participating countries to collaboratively work to designate lands that would birth the first geopark in West Africa and expressed UNESCO’s commitment to support the process to work towards sustainable development.
The Secretary-General for the Ghana Commission for UNESCO, Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, commended UNESCO for its commitment to geopark proliferation across Africa.
She underscored the need for the participating countries to prioritise tapping the potential of the continent in the geopark sector, as Africa had a meagre representation in the global geopark arena, despite Africa’s rich natural resources.
BY VIVIAN ARTHUR AND PRECIOUS NYARKO BOAKYE
