The University of Ghana Business School Alumni Association on Thursday, 31st March 2022, held its maiden edition of the Debate Seminar Series dubbed DEBASEMS at the Graduate Building.

The event was sponsored by the 2001 Year Group of the Business School.

DEBASEMS seeks to elevate the discussions on national issues to a well-moderated platform.

Instead of the current trend where major issues of national character are dictated to by the discussion on mainstream media and social media, the debate series aims at providing a very formal avenue for well-researched discussion on issues that affect the country.

It is hoped that the programme will enrich the quality of submissions on selected topics so that the country’s leadership can rely on such formidable well-researched deliveries to inform their policy choices.

The topic for the maiden  of the DEBASEMS was“Mortgaging our Mineral Resources – Is it a sustainable economic model?”

Mrs. Anita-Delight Danquah, Esq., Barrister and Solicitor and Dr. Sulley Ibrahim, Fellow, Centre for Democratic Development Ghana were the speakers.

Speaking for the motion, Mrs. Danquah argued that Mortgaging our Mineral resources is a sustainable economic model.

She defined the mortgaging of mineral resources as a situation where a loan is provided to a government or state-owned company and a natural resource asset serves as collateral.

She emphasised the importance of loans in the development of a nation.

However, it is necessary that the right things are done to ensure the loan taken can sustain the country for the period of the loan and beyond.

Mrs. Danquah further mentioned a few of the right things that must be done to ensure loans yield the required benefits.

Firstly, the loan should be for a worthy course and be put into areas that generate income and enable the loan to be repaid.

Secondly, the agreement governing the loan can determine the sustainability of the model.

She concluded by stating that with all the suitable structures in place, the mortgaging of Ghana’s mineral resources can be a sustainable model.

Taking his turn to speak against the motion, Dr. Sulley Ibrahim acknowledged the mortgaging of our natural resources as a vehicle for development but not a vehicle for natural resource governance.

He stated that the core of sustainability is intergenerational equity. Therefore, enjoying natural resources today should not compromise the enjoyment of future generations.

As a result, the use of a particular vehicle to exploit or distribute it to satisfy today’s generation means ignoring future generations and should therefore not be classified as sustainable.

Consequently, participants posed their questions to the speakers and shared their views on the debate topic.

Present at the seminar were Professor Justice N. Bawole, Dean of UGBS, Mr. Emmanuel Poku-Sarkodee, School Administrator, UGBS, and other faculty, staff, alumni, and students.