The Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Prof. Nana Ama Browne Klutse, has said businesses around the country cannot be separated from the environment.
She explained that every business thrives on the environment and when the environment is destroyed, businesses will struggle to survive and eventually collapse.
She has therefore appealed to business owners to seek advice from the EPA and obtain permits and guidelines to enable them to operate in a manner that does not pollute the environment.
Prof Browne Klutse stated this in her address as the guest speaker at the opening of the 2026 Central Regional Trade, Tourism and Investment Fair, known as Central Expo, in Cape Coast on Monday, August 31, 2026.
“We cannot survive without the environment. It is in the environment that we get the air that we breathe, it is in the environment that we get the water that we drink and the food that we eat. So we cannot take away the environment while we go about our businesses or daily activities,” she explained.
In view of this, she said, “Every business here requires a permit from the EPA. If you are not sure, just ask yourself a simple question. Does your operation affect the air that we breathe? Does your operation affect the water that we drink and use? Does your operation affect the land that we live on?”
“If you are still not sure, get to the nearest EPA office, present your business idea and the office will advise you as to whether you need a permit and the type of permit you need,” she continued.
“We need to ask ourselves a simple question. What kind of environment are we creating for the next 5 years, for the next 10 years, for the next 20 years, for the generations that will come after us?”
She reiterated that environmental protection was a collective responsibility and therefore appealed to the chiefs of the region to support the EPA’s proposed ban on polystyrene foam products.
Touching on the Expo, she said five years of Central Expo represents five years of commitment to promoting businesses, entrepreneurs, products, ideas and opportunities.
According to the EPA CEO, “this demonstrates what can happen when we create platforms that connect entrepreneurs with consumers and business partners with ideas and opportunities.”
The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has announced an impending ban on styrofoam and launched a nationwide public awareness campaign to prepare the country for it.
As part of the campaign to educate the public on the dangers polystyrene foam products pose to the environment, officials of the Authority went round the various stands to sensitise exhibitors and patrons about the ban.
They also exhibited alternative materials that could be used in place of the polystyrene foam products and appealed to the public to accept the ban and embrace the alternatives.
The Central Expo has become a major annual exhibition held at the Adisadel College Park to showcase local businesses, trade potential, agricultural produce, arts, crafts, and tourism opportunities from the 22 metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies in the Central Region.
Source: CAU/CR-EPA
