Accra, April 1, GNA- The second Environmental Film Festival of Accra opened on Friday night with a call to Ghanaians to help protect and sustain the environment to safeguard the life of all citizens. Ms Christine Churcher, Minister of Environment and Science said if the environment was well looked after, health issues such as malaria, cholera, and diarrhoea would be things of the past.

She said the issue of environment sustainability was one important area that governments the world over was paying serious attention to, and Ghana cannot be left out.

"The greatest investment that any country can make today is towards the sustainability of the environment. We either destroy the environment hence make it an enemy to mankind or we court it to make it an ally," she said.

"What does it take for us to clean our environment," she queried. Ms Churcher praised the directors of the film festival for their foresights saying the festival has come at an opportune time when the nations agenda is towards ensuring that all citizens lived in a clean and healthy environment.

"Films are things that stick on the minds of both the educated and non-educated, hence I hope that the messages to be telecasted through the seven-days film festival would be understood by all. The premiere for the launch was 'Music Comes from the Soul of the Land', which is a story of how music lovers take inspiration form the environment.

Mr Arie C. A. van der Wiel, Ambassador Royal Netherlands, said the environmental film festival was the first of is kind in Africa and urged the organizers to ensure that the duration of the festival lasted longer than the seven days in subsequent episodes.

"We need to be creative in protecting the environment, because environmental problems are not static but dynamic," he said. He said environmental issues and the tackling of sanitation was one of the priorities of the Dutch government and it was important that all Ghanaians lent a hand in tackling the problems.

"Ghana has some of the best resources of the world in terms of the forest cover, biodiversity and minerals, and thence the need for proper preservation and sustainable use," the Ambassador said. Nana Ansah Sasraku, III Mamfehene of Akuapem said the environment was the nations main source of livelihood hence the need to use it wisely and in a sustainable manner.

He noted that it was rather sad that both the rich and the poor degraded the environment equally without recourse to its repercussions. Nana Ansah Sasraku therefore, called for the extension of the film Festival to other parts of the country to help all as disseminate the message of environmental protection.