The Second Lady, Mrs Samira Bawumia, has stressed the importance of integrating climate education into the country’s educational curriculum.
Such a move, she explained, would help foster a sense of responsibility and urgency among students towards the environment.
Mrs Bawumia was speaking at the launch of Africa Students for Climate Action (ASCA) and the commemoration of the Green Ghana Day held at the Labone Senior High in Accra on Friday.
ASCA, she said, was an initiative of the African Women and Children Conference (AFRIWOCC), of which she is the chairperson and was committed to promoting inclusive and gender-transformative solutions to climate change crisis.
Furthermore, she indicated that ASCA was built on fundamental pillars of education, inclusion and innovation.
Additionally, she noted that the aim of the ASCA initiative was to empower students across the continent to be at the forefront of climate actions.
According to Mrs Bawumia, it was important to include the voice and perspectives of women and children into climate change actions as they were the most vulnerable to its impact.
“By engaging students from basic and senior high schools and providing education on afforestation, we are instilling in them a sense of responsibility towards the environment,” she explained.
“These young minds will be the driving force behind the sustainable practices and policies needed to combat climate change and ensure a, healthier planet for future generations,” she said.
The Director General, Ghana Education Service, Dr Eric Nkansah on his part said the commemoration of Green Ghana Day and the launch of ASCA was a pivotal moment in the journey towards a greener and more sustainable future for Ghana.
He congratulated the Africa Women and Children Conference (AFRIWOCC), and Mrs Bawumia under the Samira Empowerment and Humanitarian Projects (SEHP), for such an initiative.
According to him, the most effective way of dealing with the challenges of climate change was through education, training, and public awareness, and therefore called for collaboration between relevant stakeholders in that regard.
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Ms Ophelia Mensah Hayford, said Green Ghana Day symbolised the restoration and preservation of the natural environment of the country.
The United Nations Resident Coordinator, Mr Charles Abani, in his remarks, underscored the need to educate the young generation to be custodians of the future of the country in order to be the forefront against the fight of climate change.
BY AGNES OWUSU