Accra, July 17, GNA - Mr Joseph Henry Mensah, Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission, on Tuesday called on African planners to learn from their developed counterparts on the best ways of solving environmental problems facing the continent. According to him, the world had scientific solutions to most environmental problems and what was facing the continent was nothing new to other countries.

"It is scientific ideas that enhance quality living for the people. There is nothing like African standards to solving environmental problems," he told over 250 participants attending the first international conference on Environmental Research, Technology and Policy coded "ERTEP 2007".

The three-day conference, which is being attended by researchers, consultants, engineers, scientists and policy makers, among others, is under the theme; "Building Tools and Capacity for Sustainable Production".

Participants would discuss global environmental issues relating to resource exploitation and consumption, development of environmental policy-making to protect fragile ecosystems.

Mr Mensah said because of lack of scientific research and planning "some forceful people have come out with expensive, ineffective and counterproductive solutions to the environmental problems.

"We must strive to catch up with our colleagues by learning from them in whatever way possible and not waste the little resources we have at our disposal."

Admitting that government was unable to disburse a substantial percentage of the money needed for research and planning, Mr Mensah said, "this did not give room for shoddy work on the part of researchers and planners".

He said he believed that Africa was not made to be the least in everything among other continents and that what was needed was knowledge-based policies and planning to move the individual countries forward.

"In the years to come, let us all act as if all men were created equal and that Africa is not the last born of mother earth. Let us focus attention from forest utilisation to forest regeneration even if there is no immediate profit.

"We have the means to sustain the environment and make the living conditions and environment of our people more friendly than they are now."

Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, Minister of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment, said environmental issues were dynamic because of their linkage with demographic and economic activities and their impact.

Research, technological interventions and policy formulations were therefore vital to finding solutions to the associated problems, he said.

Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, Okyenhene and Chairman for the occasion, said environmental problems transcended boundaries hence the need for collaboration to solve them.

He said protecting the environment should not be quantified in terms of cost, but should be seen as an investment to sustaining life on earth.