6thNational Policy Summit launched in Accra

The Ministry of Information on Monday launched the sixth National Policy Summit in Accra with the aim of sensitising citizens on government’s programmes in the areas of fisheries and sanitation.

The two-day event scheduled to take place on May 26-27, in Cape Coast in the Central Region, will be held under the distinguished patronage of Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, the Omanhene of Oguaa Traditional Area.

It is on the theme: ‘Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals with emphasis on Fisheries and Sanitation’ and will feature the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development, Mrs Elizabeth Afoley Quaye and the Minister of Sanitation and Water Resources as the lead speakers.

Topics for discussion for the summit will include: Promoting a total national sanitation campaign, protecting fisheries and aquaculture for sustainable food supply and job creation, preventing sanitation related flooding, a shared responsibility and efficient delivery of premix fuel, support to small scale fisher folk.

Launching the event, the Minister of Planning, Professor George Gyan-Baffour said information sharing was critical in creating awareness, promoting transparency and participation in decision making at all levels of society.

He said the summit which is a public-private partnership initiative by the Ministry of Information was designed to bring together policy makers, business leaders, industry players, academia and civil society organisations among others.

Prof. Gyan-Baffour said the joy of being part of the programme as the chairman of the high level Ministerial Committee on the SDGs was because of the theme for this year’s event.

According to him, issues of famine, drought, wars, plagues and poverty continued to be challenges facing humanity, stressing that, “These perennial problems play out in our own cities, towns and villages.”

He explained that the theme for the event was consistent with the SDG 14 which dealt with life below water stressing that, “The goal recommends that we conserve and use the oceans, seas and marine resources sustainably”.

The Minister noted that the oceans make human life possible and that more than three billion people depended on marine and coastal diversity for their livelihoods, however, we were witnessing nearly a third of the world fish stock overly exploited and this was not sustainable.

In the same vein the SDG 6 encouraged the availability and sustainable management of water and provides sanitation for all, he noted that, “As we all know, clean, accessible water for all is an essential part of the world we want to live in and there is sufficient fresh water on the planet to achieve this.”
By Cliff Ekuful