GOMPA, Nimba – The Gbarnga-based Center for Environmental and Public Health Research has concluded a day-long awareness seminar in Ganta to educate attendees on the need to protect the environment.

During the seminar, Festus Lahai presented on the role of CEPRESS in the transformation of Liberia’s ecosystem. He spoke on the role of deforestation and the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as contributing factors to climate change.

“CEPRESS wants to go down to the bottom, to train people to go out and educate our people on how to preserve our biodiversity,” Lahai said. “We do not need our people to depend on the forest for their survival. Cutting down forests and other trees for the burning of coal is one of the major contributing factors to what we called global climate change – this is caused by the [carbon dioxide] that is produced in the air from the coal we burn every day.”

According to Lahai, the organization does not only conduct awareness activities; it is also working with the government and relevant institutions to develop policies to improve Liberia’s environment.

Also present at the seminar was a visiting guest from India, Vinay K. Sharma, vice president of the International Academic and Management Association. He disclosed that he was in the country as part of the process to ensure a more cemented partnership between his institution and CEPRESS.

“We are going to partner with CEPRESS to offer our courses here in Liberia through our partner universities and after the students complete their courses, we will come to grant them their certificates or degrees,” Sharma said.

According to Sharma, his organization has partnerships with over five universities in several countries. CEPRESS would partner with his organization for those universities to offer courses to students in Liberia. At the end of their studies, the students will receive certificates or degrees from one of the affiliate universities.

CEPRESS was established in November 2014 and has since recruited more than 500 young Liberians, training them in a variety of skills. The institution is undertaking a US$1.6 million construction of its own facilities in Panta District, Bong that include classrooms, dormitories for students, teachers’ living quarters, and offices.

Featured photo by Arrington Ballah