Accra: Participants in the Environmental and Social Risk Management (ESRM) training course have been advised to translate the knowledge acquired to improve project designs. The participants were encouraged to prioritise environmental and social impact issues as far as project management was concerned. According to Ghana News Agency, Prof Charles Amoatey, Director of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Training and Consulting, gave the advice in Accra at the end of a six-day training course on Essentials of Environmental and Social Risk Management. The training, which is the sixth in a series, brought together 30 environmental officials from Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone to build their capacities in managing environmental and social risk issues. The aim of the programme is to increase the capacity of environmental experts to manage infrastructure projects in the country and within sub-Saharan Africa. The course was jointly organised by the Regional Transport Research and Educat ion Centre (TRECK), Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), and the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in collaboration with the World Bank Group. Prof Amoatey stated, "We also want the participants to go back and share the knowledge with other staff on their projects, so that we can all be on the same page as far as knowledge on environmental and social issues is concerned." He emphasized the importance of developing appropriate policies to ensure these issues are prioritized in policy discussions. He further stressed that having legal backing would ensure these issues are mainstream in project implementation. Since the training's inception in November 2022, positive strides have been made in creating awareness about the importance of prioritizing environmental and social impacts before executing development projects. The programme has trained over 200 participants across Anglophone West African countries. Prof Amoatey expressed optimism that in the next th ree to four years, donor-funded and government-funded projects will better address environmental impacts. Professor Helen Essandoh, Director of TRECK-KNUST, commended the participants for their contributions to the discourse and acknowledged their upgraded knowledge to make a positive impact in their countries. The participants expressed satisfaction with the course and pledged to be agents of change by implementing their acquired knowledge in project management. They were presented with certificates upon completion of the training.