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Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR), has urged students to contribute to the management of the nation’s natural resources.
He said students could do that if they engage in extensive discourses and submit inputs towards responsible natural resources management and asked them to demand accountability too. Prof Asare-Bediako gave the advice when he inaugurated the university’s chapter of the Resource Governance Campus Hub of the African Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) in Sunyani.
The Campus Hub aimed at providing students with the requisite knowledge, skills, and ethical principles for effective resource governance and management, serving as platform for intellectual discussions, research initiatives, advocacy, and collaborative projects. That will further foster a deeper understanding of resource governance among students.
Prof Asare-Bediako indicated that effective stewardship of natural resources remained crucial sustainable development, and expressed the hope that the hub would enlighten the students and provide them with the opportunities to delve into resource policy complexities, engage with industry players and thereby proffer solutions to national challenges.
He highlighted the importance of managing natural resources efficiently and equitably to serve as a catalyst for sustainable growth and development, instead of contributing to conflicts and environmental degradation. Prof Asare-Bediako commended ACEP for its dedication to building a network that empowered students and encouraged interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance the effective and judicious utilization of the nation’s natural resources.
Comparatively, Mr Kodzo Yaotse, the Policy Lead for Petroleum and Conventional Energy at the ACEP outlined a significant gap in tracking mineral revenue expenditures, pointing out that mineral revenue was often integrated into a broader government budget, making it difficult to assess its impact independently.
He noted that despite the tracing gap in mineral revenues, the extractive industries had had a considerable positive effect on the economy, playing a crucial role in enhancing foreign exchange earnings, improving trade balances, and fostering economic interconnections.
Source: GNA
