Mr George Ahadzie, Executive Director of Green Earth Organisation, on Thursday lauded President John Agyekum Kufuor's commitment to reduce poverty through job creation.

He said job creation and the empowerment of the private sector is the key to eradicating poverty in the country.

Mr Ahadzie said this at a roundtable discussion on 'Poverty Reduction and the Environment' in Accra.

He said studies have proved that there is a link between poverty and environmental degradation in developing countries.

"Mankind is gradually killing life through depriving society of life supporting systems that constitute the environment through over exploitation, degradation and pollution."

Ms Adisa Lansah Yakubu, National Co-ordinator of Africa 2000, said that rural-urban migration had multiplied environmental problems and poverty in the country.

This has led to an increase in poor environmental and sanitary conditions, poor housing, inappropriate liquid and solid waste disposal and management.

Ms Yakubu noted that uncontrolled physical development has also contributed to the choking and pollution of drainage outlets leading to flooding and disease outbreak.

She called for enactment of new laws and strict enforcement of existing ones to effect positive changes in people's attitude towards the environment.