Enforcing environmental laws carries political cost, while offenders go unpunished – Frimpong-Boateng

Former Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng has blamed Ghana’s persistent environmental crisis on a political system in which officials who enforce environmental laws bear the political consequences while those who fail to act face little or no cost.

The former minister argued that Ghana’s approach to environmental protection was constrained by short-term political considerations because the immediate political cost of enforcement could affect electoral fortunes, while the benefits of restoring rivers and forests might take years or generations to become visible.

Frimpong-Boateng proposed the establishment of a National Environmental Compact, negotiated across political parties and approved by Parliament, to provide continuity for key environmental commitments.