The three-day workshop organized by the All-African Students Union (AASU) and four Danish Organizations has come to an end with a call on authorities to enact climate-conscious policies and legislations with practical enforcement mechanisms.
The workshop which took place in Accra brought together Non-Governmental Organizations and activists from neighbouring African countries including Burkina Faso, Mali, Uganda, The Gambia, and Niger to acquire knowledge and insight on climate education.
The climate education and student activism workshop was aimed at strengthening the capacities and approaches of the participating organizations that strategically and programmatically address climate justice through deliberate climate education and climate activism.
The participants of the workshop took into consideration the integration of gender perspectives into climate justice and the inclusion of agendas from the young people’s own organizations that feed into the global agendas.
The participants in a press conference at the closing ceremony of the workshop, recommended some five steps governments can take in order to address climate change in Africa.
The steps enumerated steps in the press statement read:
- “African leaders, INGO, Local NGOs, CSO, Youth Groups, and Students to push for a review of climate justice financial mechanisms where developed countries must commit to providing financial resources to assist African countries in implementing the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
- A conscious effort to support youth-led green projects and access to funding for women and farmers to engage in agribusiness and climate education.
- Government to enact intentional climate-conscious policies and legislations and put in place practical implementation and enforcement mechanisms.
- Civil society should lead the mission of climate education and awareness creation with policy and legislative backing from the government for coordinated collective action.
- Governments should incorporate climate change action and Environmental lessons into their various educational curriculum at the basic and Senior High Schools.”
Meanwhile, the Director for Tertiary Education at the Ministry of Education, Prof. Yayra Dzakadzie who was present at the closing ceremony of the workshop, highlighted some steps the government is taking to improve climate change education at the various levels of education in Ghana.
According to him, the government has rolled up a new curriculum at the basic level which cautiously aims at climate change issues. He cited the introduction of “All Around Me” as a subject that exposes the learners to issues of climate change and the dangers associated with destroying the environment.
Prof. Yayra also commended the All-African Students Union, ASSU, and OXFAM for organizing such workshop, which augments government’s effort in creating awareness on the need to protect the environment.
Some of the participants who shared their experiences with MX24 news said the workshop has been an eye-opener and they hope to return to their countries with new action plans on how to get students involved in active climate advocacy.
 and four Danish Organizations has come to an end with a call on authorities to enact climate-conscious policies and legislations with practical enforcement mechanisms. ){kind=link}