Minister-designate for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, appeared before Parliament's Appointments Committee on Thursday, August 27, where she outlined her priorities on illegal mining, the planned styrofoam ban, and addressing brain drain in Ghana's scientific institutions.

On the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, she described it as a shared responsibility across government and society, and called for stronger coordination among relevant ministries.

"The fight against illegal mining and the subsequent damage it does to the environment and human life are an all-of-government and all-of-society imperative. I do believe that the easiest way to address it is to have effective coordination between the Ministries, Departments and Agencies," she said.

She said that, if approved by the Committee and the House, she would engage with ministers from institutions with a stake in the fight, including Lands and Local Government, to avoid duplication of effort.

"Should I get the approval from this Committee and the House, I would want to sit with the relevant ministers of the various ministries that have an interest in the fight, which would range from the Lands as well as the Local Government, to ensure that we are all on the same page, to avoid the silo effect," she added.

Turning to the impending ban on styrofoam, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings noted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had recently held an awareness campaign in Kumasi ahead of the ban, and said the dangers of polystyrene use could not be overlooked.

Reflecting on how packaging habits had changed over the years, she recalled a time when reusable containers were the norm.

"Not to belittle the issue, but I remember as children, when you wanted to go for Auntie Naa's rice, you took your own pot to go and buy the rice, and I am not sure at which point putting plastic within plastic became the norm, and I think it comes down to a change in behaviour," she said.

She said behaviour change would take time but could be supported through incentives or penalties, and maintained that the ban's timeline should be upheld.

"Obviously, behaviour change is something that can take time, but it can be incentivised, or you can put penalties in place. It comes down to how we enforce the ban and the seriousness with which we seek to address this. I stand by the fact that the ban timeline has to be maintained," she said.

On the state of Ghana's scientific institutions, the Minister-designate raised concerns about a growing brain drain, saying the problem extended beyond ministry agencies alone.

"The rate that we see is not just within the agencies of the ministry. I think we're having a serious brain drain," she said.

She said addressing the trend would require improving conditions of service for scientists, resourcing scientific institutions adequately, and offering clearer career progression.

"And for me, I believe that we need to look at how we improve conditions of service of our scientists," she said.

She added that agencies, directorates and units needed to be properly resourced to support research.

"We also need to make sure that we're resourcing the various agencies and the directorates and units they belong to so that they have the necessary equipment and the financial support to engage in research," she said.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said scientists also needed "predictable career trajectories" to give them greater certainty about their professional future, summing up improved conditions of service, adequate research funding and clear career progression as her three priorities.

"These are three things that would be very important," she said.

Source: 3news