The Landscape & Environment Agility Across Nations (LEAN) project funded by the EU has been launched to address degradation and forest degradation in Ghana.
Its implementation is coordinated between the Rainforest Alliance, World Vision Ghana, Tropenbos Ghana, and EcoCare Ghana and will be executed in three landscape with the support of all stakeholders in three landscapes.
The Landscape Agility Across Nations (LEAN) project, which is funded by the European Union’s flagship GCCA+ initiative and aims to conserve biodiversity, build climate resilience, and reduce emissions from land-use changes in the savannah, transitional and high forest zone is a four-year project that will support the National REDD+ strategy and other commitments seeking to reduce emissions.
A representative from the European Union to Ghana, Roberto Schiliro in his address said that the LEAN project with a budget of EUR 4.9m for an implementation period of 4 years is funded by the European Union under the Sustainable Landscape Initiative.
According to him, the project will strengthen the existing partnership between the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and European Union to support agriculture and forestry.
“It is crucial to support actions that promote food and nutritional security, agricultural livelihoods and agro-forest industry in Ghana”, he said.
The Representation from the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Mr Abu Juam says the Ministry is delighted with the LEAN project which is in “line with the objective and strategies of the Ghana Forest and Wildlife Policy 2012”, therefore government is ready to support it.
He reiterated government’s readiness to fight degradation through the Ghana Forest Investment Programme and expressed gratitude to the EU’s support to the FLEGT license processes and their commitment to the Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA).
The Ministry hopes that “this new project will build on the success stories to ensure a coordinated and concerted effort towards achieving a common goal”.
The Director of Climate Change at the Forestry Commission of Ghana, Miss Roselyn Fosuah Adjei, applauded the European Union for funding the LEAN project which will fast-track actions need to “conserve biodiversity, improve livelihoods, increase climate change resilience and reduce emissions from land-use changes.”
She encouraged stakeholders to be “impatient about curbing deforestation and forest degradation” and eschew the “bureaucracy in accessing technical and financial support” which cripples the work.