Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah hails former Environment Minister for repealing L.I. 2462, launching One Child One Tree, and championing science-for-impact
Hon. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister of Lands and Natural Resources and Acting Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, has paid tribute to the late Hon. Murtala Mohammed, describing him as a man of “complete integrity” whose work ethic was “unsurpassed.”
Mr. Buah spoke on Friday at the one-year funeral anniversary of the former Minister, held at the forecourt Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation with the national Chief Imam Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu in attendance in Accra.
“It’s Not Just Policy; It’s A Collective Responsibility”
Speaking about the late Minister’s legacy, Mr. Buah said Mr. Murtala Mohammed grounded environmental protection in both faith and duty.
“He quoted Genesis 2:15 and the Quran 2:30. We both emphasize the duty of all of us as citizens to safeguard the environment, as he stated, it’s not just a policy matter, but a collective responsibility,” Mr. Buah said.
Key Achievements Remembered
The lands minister listed several flagship initiatives spearheaded by the late Minister during his tenure:
• Repeal of L.I. 2462: “He is the one that spearheaded the repeal of L.I. 2462, and today our forests are breathing again because of Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed. We can clap for you.”
• Accra Declaration: He hosted the African Research Initiative for Scientific Excellence High Level Meeting in 2025, which led to the Accra Declaration.
• Environment Science and Technology Forum: He launched the biannual forum “as Ghana’s premier network platform to build strategic partnerships between innovation and research commercialisation.” Mr. Buah said the Minister wanted research “connected with the people of Ghana” and that the forum “has now come to stay as an annual program of the Ministry of Environment.”
• Blue Economy Strategy: He helped advance the initial development of the blue economy strategy “that our Minister of Fisheries has really taken off.”
• One Child One Tree Campaign: He launched the campaign “to make sure that we instill environmental responsibility in our children right from the early age and making sure that every child knew the importance of planting trees.”
A Legacy of Integrity
On behalf of the Ministry and His Excellency the President, Mr. Buah said the late Minister embodied values that must be sustained.
“The honorable minister had these core values. His work ethic was unsurpassed. He was dedicated. He was a man of complete integrity, and he spoke his mind, and he believed in what he stood for. I thank you very much.”
The anniversary gathering brought together government officials, family, traditional leaders and environmental stakeholders to remember the former Minister’s contributions to Ghana’s environment, science and innovation agenda.
