The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Mr. Akwasi Konadu, has announced a series of government measures aimed at combating deforestation linked to cocoa production.
Speaking on behalf of the Ministry and its partners, he emphasized the government’s commitment to improving the livelihoods of cocoa farmers and their families.
Mr. Konadu who chaired the fifth Cocoa and Forest National Oversight Committee Meeting on Friday, 4th October 2024 stated the introduction of the Green Ghana Project and the passage of the Wildlife Management Resource Bill, REDD+ and CREMAs are some efforts made by the Government through the Ministry to enhance forest conservation and support livelihoods in Cocoa areas.
The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources appealed to the companies present, saying the major challenge, however, is how to secure sustainable funding for the CFI National Secretariat operations.
The President of World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), Mr. Chris Vincent, commended Ghana’s partnership with WCF in solving the systematic challenges of deforestation linked to Cocoa and restoration of degraded forests.
He said, “Through this collaboration, we have seen important achievements on a number of fronts in Ghana last year “.
Mr. Chris Vincent stated that the CFI partnership will enable the cocoa sector to make further progress on the crucial issues of forest protection and restoration whilst strengthening farmer livelihoods and improving the resilience of the cocoa supply chain.
The Technical Director for Forestry at the Ministry, Mr. Joseph Osiakwan led the presentation of key milestone on CFI since its previous meetings.
Collective recommendations and decisions were made by partners from various Cocoa companies.
