The Head of Technical Division at the All Africa Students Union (AASU), Samuel Sasu Adonteng, has opened the second edition of the Eco Ambassadors Training Workshop at the University of Ghana, with a call for collective action against climate change.
The programme, co-created by AASU and Oxfam in Africa, is designed to move young people from climate awareness to practical implementation of green economy innovations.
Speaking during an interview at the evening ceremony Mr. Adonteng said the workshop builds on a previous project undertaken with the European Union on greening skills and qualifications in Africa. According to him, this year’s edition focuses on nurturing youth-led solutions that not only combat climate change but also create employment.
“The workshop aims to provide platforms for young people to nurture their ideas within the green economy ecosystem,” he said, noting that young people are already proposing viable solutions, as seen during the Innovating Education in Africa Week.
Mr. Adonteng stressed that climate protection is essential for human survival and long-term existence, warning that responsibility for climate action must be shared.
“Climate action is a collective responsibility involving governments, private actors, students and all age groups. Everyone must focus on reducing emissions to protect both current residents and future generations,” he emphasized.
He further urged government policymakers and stakeholders to engage more effectively with young innovators and support them with the needed resources to scale their ideas to ensure environmental sustainability.
The Head of Administration at the Office of the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Ruth Dzokoto, soeakinf on the side with the media charged young people to take charge of the climate fight, describing them as present leaders and not just future leaders.
Ms. Dzokoto also said yhat young people must be encouraged to create, innovate, educate and lead in tackling climate change.
“Young people are not the future leaders; they are the present and still the future. It is important that we encourage them to create, innovate, educate, and lead, because these are people we are looking up to,” she stated.
She explained that the Office of the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, under the Office of the President, is not a full-fledged ministry but a coordination office mandated to coordinate activities of ministries and agencies on climate change.
According to her, climate change is a people problem and must be handled in Africa as an African problem with African technologies, with young people leading the charge in communities and in policy spaces.
On practical skills being imparted at the workshop, Ms. Dzokoto said facilitators are training participants in climate communication, community engagement, and climate policies.
She added that the Office of the Minister is taking climate action to the grassroots by engaging directly with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs). The office has completed engagements in the northern sector and is moving to the middle and southern belts.
A key intervention, she said, is the establishment of Climate Change and Sustainability Units at the district level, which will be manned by young people to ensure direct engagement with communities.
Her advice to the youth was clear: “Learn every day, learn widely, create boldly. Take the room, whether it is a policy room, innovation room, or education room. Don’t be afraid to walk in and talk about climate problems, climate solutions, and take climate action as a responsibility for your future.”
“You don’t have to be old or get 50 years of experience to tackle climate change. The weather being very hot is affecting you now as a young person. It is not waiting for you to grow. So tackle it as a young person,” she added.