An Intellectual Property Development Executive, Emmanuel Sackey has criticized government for failing to equip the youth with innovative ideas to go into the agriculture sector.
According to him, the failure of government to relay innovative opportunities in agriculture to the youth is pushing them to engage in illegal activities such as galamsey.
“Year in year out, we are told Ghana’s population is going to be around 57million people in 50 years time. How are we going to feed those people? We need to start thinking about different innovative solutions to address this problem and that is why the seminar is necessary on the importance of intellectual property and the protection of new varieties of plants which we believe if we all work together will enable the youth and the population of Ghana to derive benefits from their creative endeavors.” he said.
He pointed out that Ghana can learn from other countries who have successfully applied the model to develop the agriculture sector.
“It is not the engagement of the youth. It is more of creating enabling environment for the youth to do their own work. This is what is being experienced in the developed countries and the countries in transitions such as Brazil, China and the likes and that is what we are also asking government to do,” he stressed.
Mr Sackey advised government to be strategic in developing policies that will attract the youth into the sector.
“So what we are telling our government is that they should put in place the right policies.”
He spoke to Citi Business News at the sidelines of the National Seminar on the Arusha Protocol for the protection of new varieties of plants
The programme was organized by the African International Property Organisation (ARIPO).
By: Jessica Ayorkor Aryee/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
