By Comfort Sena Fetrie-Akagbor
Tamale, Aug 25, GNA – Northern Sector District level of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has organised a two-day follow-up advocacy workshop on Green Climate Fund (GCF) projects and its processes, implemented last year.
The theme for the event held in Tamale was: “Equipping CSOs towards effective monitoring and advocacy on GCF funded initiatives in Ghana”.
The event, organised by Care International in collaboration with Kasa Initiative Ghana was to continue deepening the understanding of stakeholders, especially CSOs on the Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project (GSLERP) to equip CSOs to enable them to play their roles effectively.
It was also meant to train CSOs on evidence-based advocacy in the context of climate change and GCF initiatives.
Mr. Emmanuel Baapeng, Manager of GSLERP gave overview of the GCF project and said the project, which would end in 2028, had a total budget of USD30.1 million GCF grant funding and a total of 24.4 million co-financing from the Government of Ghana and the Private Sector.
He said the GCF had approved a project worth 54.5 million US dollars to address the alarming deforestation and forest degradation challenges in the Northern Savannah Zone and to promote investments in the shea value chain and women’s empowerment.
He added that the Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project, which was approved at the ongoing GCF’s 26th virtual meeting, would be implemented by the Forestry Commission of Ghana with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme in partnership with multiple institutions, CSOs and private sector actors.
Mr. Zakaria Yakubu, Head of Programmes at Care International, urged the actors to design structures to empower communities to participate in the activities concerning the way forward of the GCF project.
He also urged actors of the project to develop a communication strategy targeting shea restoration by farmers to create awareness on the climate change activities.
Mr. Kanton Issifu, Executive Director of Community Development Alliance said the project would enhance the lives of communities that nurtured the forests.
Mr. Jonathan Gokah, Coordinator for Kasa Initiative Ghana, stated that Care Ghana and Kasa Initiative Ghana were currently implementing the second phase of a GCF readiness project, which started last year and would be ending this year.
He indicated that the current phase of the project was aimed at enhancing capacities of CSOs towards increased accountability and transparency of national authorities and implementing actors of GCF activities through participatory monitoring and evaluation.
GNA