Member of Parliament, MP for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, Alhassan Kobina Ghansah, has reiterated the need for Ghana to have a strategic approach to combating desertification.
He said Ghana needs to be active in working to address desertification and drought issues, particularly in the five regions in the north of the country, where desertification is most prevalent.
Mr Ghansah made the call in a statement he presented on the floor of Parliament to mark World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
The United Nations General Assembly declared 17 June, to be “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought” by its resolution adopted in December 1994.
This seeks to mobilize all parts of society in support of sustainable land stewardship and contribute to the advancement of several other Sustainable Development Goals.
Mr Ghansah said desertification and drought are issues of global interest because they affect all regions of the world, and therefore a need to join hands with the international community to address them, particularly in Africa.
He said globally about 5.2 billion hectares, constituting 39.7 per cent of the total 13 billion hectares terrestrial area of the earth is under threat of desertification and about 46 per cent of the total area of Africa is affected by the same.
He said dryland ecosystems, which cover over one-third of the world‘s land area, are extremely vulnerable to over-exploitation and inappropriate land use.
It is estimated that by 2050 droughts may affect over three-quarters of the world’s population.
He reiterated that it is important to put all mechanisms at the forefront of global efforts to restore land to health and boost drought resilience, saying this will help in land restoration to reduce poverty, hunger, and malnutrition.
