Stakeholders are optimistic that this intervention will not only help restore degraded forest reserves but also improve the livelihoods of farmers living within the affected areas.

Ghana’s forest reserves have come under severe threat from the activities of illegal miners, popularly known as galamsey. In several forests in the Ahafo, Bono East, Upper East, and Western Regions, the situation has been further compounded by illegal logging and recurring wildfires.

To help tackle this challenge, the European Union has provided €2.4 million in grants to three not-for-profit organisations to support the restoration of about 5,000 hectares of forest.

According to the Head of Infrastructure and Sustainable Development at the EU Delegation to Ghana, Paulina Pozycka, the increasing degradation of forest reserves poses serious risks to ecosystems, local economies, and surrounding communities, and must therefore be addressed urgently.

“The EU is happy to back Ghana’s forest restoration policy, and it is happy to contribute to the government effort to achieve the sustainable development, and the forest are part of it. The forest is the opportunity of livelihood for many people,” she said.

Speaking on the sidelines of the project launch, she added that the initiative also includes building the capacity of 20,000 farmers in rural communities to help improve their livelihoods.