Dr. Kwame Ameyaw Domfeh, a Lecturer at the Business School Department of Public Administration and Health Services Management of the University of Ghana, Legon, on Thursday expressed concern about the rate of exploitation of natural resources leading to over consumption.
"Over-consumption results in the production of waste that feed back to the environment at a faster pace than nature's economy can convert them into resources," he emphasised.
Dr. Ameyaw Domfeh was addressing the annual congress of the Brong Ahafo Students Union (BASU) at Bechem, in the Tano South District.
He noted that the preservation of the ecology went hand in hand with improving the quality of human life, adding that, "The alleviation of poverty is dependent on halting environmental degradation to achieve a just and equitable distribution of the world's resources," the lecturer said.
Dr Ameyaw Domfeh stressed that development as was being practiced drained natural resources including human and called for their sound management.
He noted that in the face of economic constraints, efficient utilisation of natural resources sometimes tended to be ignored, adding, "it is half of the battle won to be aware of the environmental implication of development and this is where developing human resource for sustainable natural resource becomes crucial".
The current depletion of the nation's resources was the result of gross mismanagement at different levels, petty forms of selfishness, greed and dishonesty sometimes unknowingly and deliberately, for survival.
"It behoves us all to rally together and adopt a mature judgement and rebuild the structure of the economy together", Dr Ameyaw Domfeh emphasised.
He called for appropriate attention and effort on development of human capacity through quality education, which he said was crucial for achieving sustainable use of natural resources.
The lecturer expressed regret that 17 per cent of candidates presented by one of the most endowed senior secondary schools in the region for the SSCE obtained 'E' in English Language, with the remaining 83 percent failures.
Dr Ameyaw Domfeh noted that schooling was a great achievement and an analysis of labour implications of returns of schooling indicated that it was a very good investment and wondered why some people were not taking advantage of it if education yielded such a high rate of returns.
Nana Abraham Kwadwo Kwakye, Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, noted that although the region was endowed with many natural resources, it lacked the requisite expertise to manage them.
He called on the students to be more committed to their books to achieve high laurels to help raise the image of the region.
The Deputy Regional Minister advised the students to be disciplined and to accept postings to rural areas in future, adding the government was doing its best to promote education, which he said was the bane of the nation's development.
Mr. Jonathan Obour-Wiredu, out going National President of BASU, said Professor George Benneh, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana and Agyewodin Adu Gyamfi Ampem II, Paramount Chief of Acherensua Traditional Area and others formed the Union 50 years ago.
He said the aim was to foster unity among students in the region to promote development through education and the fight against illiteracy and ignorance, the common enemies of development.
The out going President said the theme for the Congress, "Developing human resources for sustainable natural resources management in the region," was chosen because the area was endowed and had little interest in education.
Mr Obour-Wiredu said the Union under his leadership undertook programmes to educate parents on the need to send their children to school and sensitised students on courses in tertiary institutions, as well as other avenues for people out of JSS and SSS but could not continue at the tertiary level.
He appealed to District Assemblies to establish funds to help brilliant but needy children to acquire higher education.
Mr. Obour-Wiredu urged the Assemblies and traditional authorities to liase with the Minister of Food and Agriculture for more technical offices to introduce them to modern farming technologies and environmental friendly practices for the conservation of natural resources.
New executives were later sworn into office.