Ghana to access $50m to reduce greenhouse emission

It said the Technical Director for Forestry at the ministry, Mr Musa Abu Juam, represented Ghana at the meeting.

The forum, held on the theme, “Deepening Global Understanding of Linkages between Climate Change and Development”, brought together more than 400 representatives from governments, civil society groups, the private sector, among others.

It said efforts at reducing greenhouse emissions had hitherto been bedevilled by numerous problems, including insufficient incentives to conserve or plant trees in off-reserve areas, the illegal chain saw milling menace and the illegal harvesting of trees as a  result of poor management of forest reserves.

The statement said imbalances in domestic timber demand and supply, rapid extension of cocoa farms, especially the shift from shaded to open cocoa farming, as well as poor inter-sectoral co-ordination to address cross-sectoral  issues, were some of the  challenges confronting the implementation of REDD+ programmes in Ghana.

It said Mr Juam, who was delighted at the approval for the $50m facility, explained that the facility would help strengthen institutional capacity in forest resources management, expand and diversify management options, improve governance, as well as enhance the regulatory framework to streamline tenure and tree rights.