2018 marks the 10-year anniversary of the establishment of the World Bank’s Climate Investment Fund (CIF).
The CIF, which has over 300 projects in 72 countries and a budget of $8.3 billion, is active in Ghana with $75.7 million allocated specifically to forestry projects.
Mafalda Durate, the head of the CIF, spoke at the World Bank’s Ghana Office in Accra on June 28th on the progress of the program after touring the state earlier in the week.
A large media campaign is ongoing in celebration of the CIF’s anniversary, further raising awareness on its focus issues.
Ghana has lost 50% of its forest since 2000 and is experiencing a deforestation rate of 2% annually, one of the highest rates in the world. At this rate Ghana would completely deplete its forests by 2040. The largest drivers of deforestation are agriculture, population pressures, urbanization, and artisanal mining.
A major cause of deforestation is certain cocoa cultivation practices. Much of the cocoa grown in Ghana is sun-grown, and forests are often clear-cut for additional fields.
The CIF, in partnership with the Ministry of Land and Natural Resources and the Ghana Cocoa Board have frequent meetings with famers and community members to push for the adoption of shade-grown cocoa practices, illustrating that climate safe practices are more profitable in the long term.
These meetings are valuable opportunities to gather personal narratives to hear what environmental issues are most important to local communities. They also aid in the media campaign as scientific figures are only part of the story as there is a definite human factor.
The importance of environmental issues are stressed at these meetings and sustainable practices are taught. As Durate stated, sustainability “requires the action of everyone.”
Level of awareness on environmental issues is crucial and several areas have been successful in rising this through the use of posters and radio campaigns. This program has been attempting to give communities a sense of ownership to their lands to create higher incentives to actively preserve them.
Along with directly linked program members, well known trusted people, such as community chiefs, are very effective in preaching the importance of the issue. In addition, rapper Okyeame Kwame has become a recent environmental advocate.
The protection of forests is a crucial issue. Preventing forest loss improves biodiversity and the robustness of an ecosystem. Forests also greatly limit carbon dioxide emissions. Their preservation not only improves quality of life for local populations but it can also lead to increases in eco-tourism.
Despite the large deforestation rate and while considerable work still needs to be done, Durate stated that she was confident that Ghana was now moving in the right direction and she was pleased to see the level of engagement of the community, especially among young people, in regards to these issues.
By: Andrew David & Gabriel Odonkor
