By Philip Tengzu
Sankana, (UW/R), July 17, GNA – Professor Emmanuel K. Derbile, the Vice Chancellor of the SDD-University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS), has called on stakeholders to adopt measures to protect shea trees for posterity.
He acknowledged the economic and medicinal value of the shea tree and called for a community-based approach, effective leadership and stakeholder commitment in protecting the shea landscape.
Prof. Derbile made the call at Sankana in the Nadowli-Kaleo District during the 2025 Shea Day Celebration organised by the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) on the theme: “Plant a Shea Tree, Restore Livelihoods”.
The event was to, among other things, highlight the significance of the shea industry in environmental sustainability, women’s empowerment and economic development and promote the sustainability of shea parklands.
The celebration also witnessed the launch of the Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project (GSLERP) and a symbolic shea planting exercise.
The GSLERP is funded by the Green Climate Fund and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and implemented by the GSA and Forestry Commission, aimed to plant about 3.5 million shea trees across the five regions in northern Ghana.
Prof. Derbile commended the GSA and its partners for the project but said while they made efforts to plant shea trees, there should be deliberate policy framework to protect the shea landscape.
“In order that we can achieve sustainability beyond this launch, we have to endeavour to put in place the mechanisms for taking care of the trees”, he explained.
Prof. Derbile said the SDD-UBIDS, with support from the GSA, had planted about 8,000 tree seedlings, including shea, and they aimed to plant more.
Rt. Hon. Alban S. K. Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, in a speech read on his behalf by Prof. Damasus Tuurosung, the Executive Secretary to the Speaker, observed that the GSLERP would contribute to ensuring Ghana’s climate resilience.
He said it was also a strategic investment in the economic empowerment of rural women and building long-term ecological and community resilience through sustainable land management.
While pledging the commitment of parliament to the initiative, Mr Bagbin said: “This is a powerful reminder that true solutions to climate change, rural poverty and gender inequality do not always come from far away.”
Dr. Abdul-Razak Saeed, Head of Environment and Climate at the UNDP, said the shea tree was an important resource for northern Ghana and had the potential to contribute significantly to the country’s economic growth.
He expressed happiness in the UNDP’s partnership with the GSA, the Forestry commission and Green Climate Fund Finance to implement the GSLERP.
Dr. Saeed urged effective collaboration between the government, the private sector and communities to protect the shea Landscape.
Mr Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Region Minister, in a speech read on his behalf, said the initiative would complement the government’s efforts in restoring degraded lands and combating climate change.
Madam Portia Alale, the Vice President of the Sankana Co-operative Association, said despite the benefits of the shea tree, it was the preferred tree for charcoal burning.
She called on well-meaning persons in society to take action to protect the shea tree from destruction.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Christian Akorlie