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Report by Nana POKU
A panel of 17 Heads of State and 300 participants and experts are to converge in Accra on the 31st of May to 1st of June to deliberate on how to save the oceans from the rapid degradation and pollution.
The summit which takes place at the Muvenpic Ambassador Hotel here in Accra with the Ghanaian Head of State as the main guest of honour will deliberate on a variety of issues.
Making the media launch, the SDGs Advisory Expert on Water Bodies, Dr Eugene Owusu highlighted the urgent need to salvage the ocean from pollution, destruction, depletion and climate change that are badly militating against the seas in Africa and the world at large.
In his opening remarks, he drew the attention of the media to the urgency of the summit being the first of its kind on the African continent supported by the Norwegian government, the UNDP, NGOs, the Ministry of Fisheries and Aqua Culture, Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovations and Financial Organizations.
Dr. Eugene Owusu bemoaned the dire situation where the world is fast losing about 1.3 trillion dollars from the ocean’s economic activities as a result of human and climate activities.
He indicated that about 50% of oxygen comes from the ocean as well as the source of renewable energy. The oceans also offer recreation, tourism, transportation, fish for protein, aqua culture, biggest refuse dump, biotechnology and ecosystem services. In spite of these numerous benefits, man has unduly over exploited and degraded the oceans and faces the danger of extinction of all these natural, economic and artificial uses of the ocean like overfishing, refuse dump, pollution and climate change are threatening the livelihoods of millions of the human race at an alarming rate as in jobs, nutrition, economic growth and health.
It is against this background that 17 Heads of State including, Joe Biden of USA, Macron of France, the Norwegian President, Ghana’s President, Nana Addo, etc have come together to salvage the devastation of the oceans to save the lives of current and unborn generations now before it is too late.
The summit will deliberate on Ocean Health, Ocean Wealth, Ocean Knowledge, Ocean Economy, and Ocean Equity, among others. All these are feared for the protection, restoration, and reinvigorating of the ocean for a better future. Other speakers spoke on the viability and necessity of the need to ensure the sustenance of this big natural resource that constitutes about 70% of the earth’s size.
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