EPA CEO Urges Chiefs to Lead Ghana’s Environmental Protection Campaign

The Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, has called on traditional authorities to play a leading role in efforts to protect Ghana’s environment and promote sustainable development.

She said the success of environmental policies depends not only on laws and institutions but also on the active participation, leadership and influence of traditional authorities and their communities.

Prof. Browne Klutse made the call during the 30th Anniversary Celebration of the Paramount Chief of the Abeadze State, Daasebre Kwebu Ewusi VII, and the Ahobaa Kese Festival 2026 at Abeadze Dominase in the Central Region.

She reflected on the important role traditional values played in protecting the environment in the past.

According to her, forests, water bodies, farmlands and communal spaces were traditionally regarded not only as resources but as sacred inheritances that had to be safeguarded for future generations.

“Today, Ghana is confronted with growing environmental challenges, including plastic pollution, improper waste disposal, degradation of our water bodies and the increasing burden of single-use plastics,” she said.

She stressed the need to revive traditional values of stewardship, discipline, communal responsibility and respect for nature in addressing the country’s environmental challenges.

Prof. Browne Klutse also highlighted the national campaign towards the elimination of styrofoam and other environmentally harmful single-use materials, describing it as a major step towards building a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable Ghana.

She explained that the campaign was not merely a regulatory intervention but a call for a change in attitudes to protect the environment, safeguard drains and water bodies, improve public health and promote sustainable alternatives.

“As the Environmental Protection Authority continues to lead and support national efforts towards stronger environmental governance, public education, pollution control and sustainable development, traditional authorities remain indispensable partners to the EPA,” she stated.

She therefore urged chiefs and traditional leaders to use their influence to inspire their communities to take greater responsibility for protecting the environment and preserving Ghana’s natural heritage for generations yet unborn.

In his address, the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, also highlighted the historical role of traditional leaders and communities in protecting the environment.

He recalled how Ghana’s forefathers resisted attempts to treat land as a commodity that could simply be sold, stressing that land belonged not only to the present generation but also to those who came before and generations yet unborn.

“When the white man wanted to sell our lands, our forefathers stood their ground and said the land belongs to three people: the past, the present and the future,” he said.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia warned that the continued destruction of land and other natural resources would amount to an injustice to both the ancestors who bequeathed the land to the present generation and unborn generations who are equally entitled to inherit it.

“If we continue to destroy the land the way we are doing today, it means we have not been fair to the forefathers who bequeathed the land to us, and the unborn generation who are co-owners of the land,” he added.