As part of efforts at promoting environmental sustainability, leading exploration drilling company in West Africa, Geodrill Ghana Limited, has supported Mckingtorch Africa, to install the first-ever public bus shelter in the country.
The facility, which is situated at Dzorwulu junction, adjacent to the Fiesta Royale Hotel is also the first in Africa.
Speaking at the commissioning ceremony on Thursday, Mr. Dave Harper, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Geodrill Ghana Limited observed plastic use in recent times has become a major environmental problem not only in Ghana, but the world at large.
He said, “The problem of plastics is a generational problem today, plastics is in everything that we do. If we are not careful in the next 50 years, the sea is going to turn 90 percent plastics and 10 percent fish. It is not just a problem for Ghana, but a global problem.”
The CEO stressed the need to confront the problem head-on and tackle it now to ensure environmental sustainability.
“Our generation needs to take this problem and tackle it. We can certainly work with others; whether you are in business or you are a student, whether you are a pensioner, we can all think about how to deal with the plastics menace; we can’t take it away. We just got to manage it,” Mr. Harper added.
He further assured Geodrill Ghana Limited pays prominence to its environmental sustainability agenda hence will continue to support such programs. Other environmentally conscious mining sector actors were invited to the event including Judy Crayem of the Minerals Commission, Asanko Gold and Perseus Mining.
President of Academic City University, Prof. Fred Bangonluri observed sustainability has become an issue now and urged the need to deploy technology in solving such challenges.
He appealed to industry to engage academia to come out with innovative products to overcome the plastic waste menace in the country.
“It is time to mobilize our trash in order not to call it waste. There is the need for businesses to engage those in academia to find solutions to solve the challenges of the environment,” Prof. Bangonluri said.
Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ayawaso Municipal Assembly, Hon. Sandra Owusu Ahinkorah underscored the importance of recycling waste into valuable products and commended Mckingtorch Africa, Geodrill Ghana Limited and other partners for collaborating to come out with such initiative.
She appealed for more of such environmentally friendly public bus shelters to be installed within the municipality.
The bus shelter is the brainchild of Mckingtorch Africa founder, Makafui Awuku, made from recycled plastic waste, beams, ‘chale wote’, waste recovered from the Mighty Beach at Sakumono, used car tires, used gallons and plastic waste bottle tops and burnt clay bricks. The bus shelter was highly praised by those in attendance including the High Commissioner to Australia, H.E Lynn Johnston, Prof. Azumah Nelson and acclaimed actress and humanitarian Ama K Abebrese.
