In 2007 Ghana discovered oil and gas and it commenced production in the last quarter of 2010. Whether the discovery of oil and gas exculpates the natural resource curse that has existed with these economic activities requires a further investigation. The first objective debate on this question should centre on whether Ghana's oil and gas discovery promotes economic development or hinders it (Yalley and Ofori-Darko, 2012). The second is whether space law and science education can promote sustainable development in the country (Oyedepo, 2012). Furthermore, natural resources create a dogmatism curse. This dogmatic curse can be illustrated by the fact that excessive resources have an adverse impact on economic development. This was found in Sachs and Warner’s (1995; 2001) analysis of the relationship between natural resources and economic growth (Cotet and Tsui 2013). Additionally, the literature on the “natural resource curse” recognises the different factors that affect the relationship between an excessive natural resource and economic growth. Angrist and Kugler (2008) and Aragón, Chuhan-Pole and Land (2015) have suggested these influencing factors are conflict, weak governance structures and weak democratic systems. When a demystification practice is in place in examining nature resources, it is adequate to observe that the argument of the natural resource curse is only valid when the compound element of governance is diminished. This compound element is made up of regulation, education and economic activities. These elements must be adequately balanced to circumvent the path of a natural resource curse. Therefore, while a natural resource is a gift (Gunton et al, 2021) how that gift is managed needs to be examined. If this question can be attributed to the current deficiency in Ghana's oil and gas exploration, the significance of this issue has received little attention in the past decade.
Even though the discovery of oil and gas in Ghana was welcomed by many Ghanaians, the ecological impact and its stratification on individual lives were not apprehended by the average person in the country. Despite the economic benefits promised by the government, there is a lack of scientific data to explain the long-term ecological impact of oil and gas production on the country (Sakyi et al, 2012). This failure can be attributed to the first and second parts of the compound element of governance in the context of a natural resource curse: regulation and education. Therefore, whether these deficiencies can be resolved through regulation and education is definitively something that requires further attention. Of course, it is possible to assume that the excitement brought about by the oil and gas exploration may have overlooked the consequences and detrimental effects on the ecosystem. However, the lack of an inclusive legal and scientific approach to the management framework of the ecosystem forms the compound basis of the destruction of ‘traditional smallholder livelihoods’ (Viada et al, 2010, April). The compound element effect is the failure of regulation and the science education system to measure and examine the impact of industrial activities on the greater good. Therefore, the greater good becomes an element that should form the basis of our understanding of the management framework. Understanding the management framework of the ecosystems means correlating space law and science education to the mainstream of our decision making. Given the methodology and practical approach to the issue, this means the social and economic aspects of Ghana's oil and gas exploration must be examined through the lens of space law and science education.
From previous research in this field, it is also clear that Ghana is not the only country in Africa to have suffered from this natural resource dogmatic curse and delusional effect. For example, countries such as Nigeria, Congo, and Mozambique are also suffering from the natural resource dogmatic curse and delusional effect (Numbere, 2018). The delusional effect simply means implementing an economic policy that undermines the ecosystem and the societal good. Therefore, the destruction of the livelihood of the local people and environmental degradation are the consequences of oil and gas exploitation in Africa (including mining, legal and illegal). This is further complicated by the deficiency in regulations and science education in the country. Hence, you cannot separate the gap in regulation and science education from the management framework of the ecosystems. Inclusively, in order to manage the ecosystem, there must first be a better regulatory system, and second, there must be a better education system. Taken together, these two distinctive approaches will help strike a balance between better economic requirements and society's demands. Therefore in our understanding of natural resource dogmatic curse and delusional effect, whichever method we choose should have a comparative knowledge of space law and science education, which are the origin of all governance and management frameworks. In this article, I shall endeavour to explain the path to a better understanding of space law and science education and to paint a picture of where space law and science education can intersect to resolve the compound issues of this natural resource dogmatic curse and delusional effect.
The resolution to combat the negative results of natural resources is first to develop an effective scientific resource to examine the side effects of the activity and second to create an effective legal mechanism that is capable of regulating the operations of this activity. So, if one is to see the full benefit of natural resources then the ecosystem must be protected by legal and scientific principles. These principles can only come about when there is investment in the development of legal and science education in the country. Therefore, the issue of the management of the ecosystem is a development approach, not an experimental approach. This means moving from economic maximisation to conceptualising ideas that require closer attention to the development concepts of an ecosystem management framework in space law and science education in the hope of better understanding the correlation between risk and the modern explanation of the natural resource dogmatic curse and delusional effect.
Take, for example, the environmental destruction and the deterioration of the livelihood of Ghanaians could have been prevented if adequate science education, data, and legal regulation were present from the beginning of the oil and gas exploitation, including mining. Due to this, the destruction of the ecosystem took a different pathway, both in its simple and complex forms (Aryeh-Adjei et al, 2015). This pathway consists of a lack of assessment and monitoring systems in the extractive industry. Therefore, it is now important that multiple theoretical and practical approach is adopted to better understand the complex connection between the negative consequence of natural resource exploitation in Ghana. The potential source of environmental pollution in oil and gas production and their impact on the ecosystem has been overlooked by the authorities. However, this is not only the deficiency that exists in ‘Ghana's quest for oil and gas’, and the existing domestic law for the environment in the extractive sector, and the compliance, enforcement, and prosecution mechanism is a defined shadow (Alemzero, et al, 2021).
This means that the country in its capacity lacks the structural formation to gather scientific data, process data, and pass laws that are adequate to protect the ecosystem and preserve it for future generations. This lack of science and regulatory approach may have created a gap in attitude, knowledge, development, and the enforcement of adequate legislation to protect the ecosystem in Ghana. The lack of capacity is a disposition, which is also created by the compound element of failed law and failed scientific education. Therefore the problem with Ghana’s ecosystem lies in the fragmentation and incoherent policies that are filtered in the attitude toward environment law and science education. While it is not advisable for one to burden society with scientific and legal dogma, it is equally important for science education to inform policy and transform the livelihoods of Ghanaians. In relation to the points I have made thus far, when we observe the destruction of Ghana's ecosystem, there is a clear correlation between the behaviour of ordinary Ghanaians and the classical impact of oil and gas on their livelihoods. However, complexities exist in the development and historical understanding of what management of the ecosystem means in terms of oil and gas exploration. Therefore, trying to bridge this complication in the historical development of oil and gas exploration might help build a good connection between economic activities in Ghana and the management of the ecosystem.
Let us not forget that Ghana’s oil and gas exploration started as early as 1896, while the current economic adventure started in the year 2007 (Acquah-Andoh, et al, 2018). Thus, the economic impact of oil and gas production in Ghana cannot be disputed; however, the lack of scientific data and regulation has no doubt contributed to the crimping of the Ghanaian ecosystem. Instead of the generation of revenue and jobs, to improve the country, there is destruction of the environment and deprivation of the healthy state of the natural order (Amoasah, 2010). When examining the distortion of the natural order in line with the current structural formations in the country, it is evident that there are some existing environmental laws in Ghana that are aimed at regulating mining and oil operations (Mahama, 2016). The paralysed scientific data and regulation (in other words, inadequate laws) have left the oil and mining sector unregulated for many decades. This legal and scientific deficit has led to the destruction of the livelihood of Ghanaians, damaged biodiversity, and destroyed the basic structure formation that the average Ghanaian depends on to live. This means that policymakers need to pay close attention to the ecosystem and sustainability strategies that will ensure that oil, gas, and mining exploitation does not have an adverse effect on the ecosystem. Fundamentally, this approach is a dependency formation, which requires the interrelation and the interplay of science policy to resolve the environmental issues confronting the Ghanaian people.
Therefore, for the policymakers to comprehend the facilities that are required to resolve the issues surrounding the ecosystem and sustainability, there is a need for a better understanding of the correlation between law and science resolution. Without this basic understanding, the policymakers are incapable of developing appropriate tools that are centralised on solving the problem. Take, for example, the fact that there are over 90 lagoons along the whole coastline of Ghana, the majority of which are located in the central and western coastlines, including the Cape Three Points area. Fish, shrimp, mollusc, and crab species are the habitat of these sites (Armah, et al, 2011). The ecology of the Cape Three Point area is widely split in two: offshore and onshore. The offshore ecosystem has around 89 species, which are aquatic organisms. These organisms are found in the 1,100–1,700 m water depth in the Jubilee Field. The onshore ecology is sandy shores that surround the Cape Three Point region. This point is used by sea turtles for nesting and other species such as ghost crabs, isopods, amphipods, mysids, and mole crabs inhabit this place. Furthermore, the sandy shore is a living place for creepers, grasses, dwarf palms, coconut palms, and shrubs. When close attention is paid to the offshore and onshore inhabitants, the urgency of the matter becomes one of an open-end loop. We can therefore say that there is a need for space science to oversee the progressive development of the sites and law is required to regulate the conduct of the actors engaged in these sites (Klinger, 2020). This approach should be at the heart of the management framework of the ecosystems in Ghana.
On this basis, this article will discuss what Ghana needs to do in order to progress its space law and science education programmes to aid the development of legal and scientific education programmes for the management framework of the ecosystem, for which there is clearly much potential at present. The first part of this discussion will examine previous academic literature produced on this topic, which offers many clues about the challenges and opportunities facing Ghana, as well as the lessons that can be learned from both other space nations and actors in this field. When looking at perceptions, the second part will explore material taken from ethically approved interviews which were conducted with experts in this field, whilst the third section will provide an analysis of data taken from a survey in which respondents were asked targeted questions about Ghana’s space and science education programme, before summarising the key findings.