Zanetor pledges to protect Ghana’s natural resources for future generations

Minister Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings has committed to safeguarding Ghana's natural resources and ensuring their responsible utilization for the advantage of both current and future generations. In a social media post following her recent installation, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings emphasized that the environment should be regarded as a national legacy rather than a resource to be exploited excessively.

She referred to the environment as a trust that our nation has been entrusted with, stating, "I see our environment not as a resource to exploit, but as an inheritance entrusted to our care." The minister outlined the shared obligation of both the government and citizens in safeguarding Ghana's ecosystems and natural assets. She highlighted the country's key environmental challenges, such as climate change, illegal mining, pollution, environmental degradation, and inadequate waste management.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings acknowledged the gravity of these issues, stating that tackling climate change, environmental degradation, illegal mining, waste management, pollution, and the sustainable use of natural resources necessitates courage, innovation, cooperation, and decisive action. She expressed her intention to collaborate with scientists, researchers, innovators, environmentalists, state institutions, businesses, and local communities to address these challenges and foster sustainable development.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings also extended her appreciation to President John Dramani Mahama for her appointment, characterizing public service as a duty that demands sacrifice and stewardship. "Public service is, first and foremost, a call to duty, sacrifice and stewardship," she emphasized. She pledged to carry out her duties with integrity, humility, and purpose, stressing that the worth of public office should be judged by its impact on citizens.

"The ultimate measure of public office is not the position we hold, but the lives we touch and the difference we make," she asserted. Dr Agyeman-Rawlings called upon Ghanaians to support environmental protection efforts, scientific advancement, and technology utilization for national progress. "This is greater than any single individual. It pertains to the Ghana we leave behind, and I am prepared to serve," she concluded.