Paga (U/E), June 19, GNA – A project to address land and environmental degradation in some selected districts across the country has been launched at Paga in the Kassena-Nankana District of the Upper East Region.
The four-year Project dubbed: “Landscape and Environmental Agility Across the Nation (LEAN)” is funded by the European Union (EU) and is implemented in the Western North, Ashanti and Bono –East Regions.
It is being implemented by a Consortium of Non-Governmental Organizations, including the Rainforest Alliance, the lead agency, World Vision, Tropenbos Ghana and EcoCare Ghana.
Speaking at the launch at Paga, Mr Joseph Yelkabong Woode, the Manager of the LEAN project, disclosed that apart from the Kassena-Nankana West District in the Upper East Region and West Gonja in the Savannah Region where World Vision was in charge of implementing the project, the other partner NGOs were also implementing the project in other beneficiary Districts in the country.
He said while the Rainforest Alliance was implementing the project in the Bibiani-Anhwiaso-Bekwai, Sefwi Wiaso Municipal, Bodi and Akontombra Districts in the Western North Region, the Tropenbos Ghana and EcoCare Ghana were in charge of the Offinso Municipal and Offinso North District in the Ashanti Region and Techiman Municipal, Techiman North and Nkoranza Municipal and Nkoranza North in the Bono East Region respectively.
He said the project, which is the EU flagship GCCA+ initiative, was aimed at conserving biodiversity, building climate resilience, and reducing emissions from land-use changes in the Savannah, High Forest and Transition zones of Northern Ghana.
He said the project was targeting about 36,000 small-scale farmers in the project areas and would collaborate with major stakeholders, including Research institutions, the Forestry Commission, the District Assemblies, Traditional rulers and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
He said the project had provided for a Livelihood component, which would help curb environmental degradation activities such as felling of trees for charcoal production and fuel wood.
Mr Timothy Aman-Bey Akanpabadai, the Regional Operations Manager of World Vision in charge of the Northern Sector, stated that the LEAN project had an overall objective of supporting to conserve biodiversity, improve the livelihoods of small-scale farmers, build climate resilience and reduce emissions from land-use changes across Northern Ghana, High Forest and the transition zones in the country.
The project would complement the Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) project being implemented by World Vision and had a high potential of ensuring food security, he said.
Mr Abubakar Amadu, the District Coordinating Director of the Kassena-Nankana West District, who was full of praise for the intervention, pledged the Assembly’s support and urged all stakeholders to support the implementation process.
The launch included the Wild and Forest Service Division, private sector, CSOs, which are into the environment and CK Tedem University, among others.
GNA