Ashanti Forestry Commission Ladies Association holds AGM
The Ashanti Regional Chapter of the Forestry Commission Ladies Association (FCLA) has held its second annual general meeting (AGM) highlighting a role-model event for two members of the association who are fellows of the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD).
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They are the Regional Organiser of the FCLA, Assistant District Manager at the Resource Management Support Centre (RMSC) of the Forestry Commission (FC), and 2013 fellow of AWARD, Ms Grace Gyabaa, and a researcher at Nature Works, a non-governmental agency, Ms Evelyn Asante-Yeboah.
They have both benefited from the two-year career development programme focused on fostering mentoring partnerships, building skills in science and developing leadership capacity.
Role-model event
The role-model event would allow the fellows to share their acquired knowledge with a wider group of FCLA members who are managers, forest guards, secretaries, auditors, administrative officers, as well as community farmer groups working in reserves.
The AWARD is a career-development programme that equips female agricultural and natural resource scientists in Africa by strengthening their research and leadership skills through a well-structured programme.
Each year, 70 fellows in the agricultural sector from Africa are selected, including forestry, and are provided with opportunities to develop innovations with a high potential to contribute to sustainable resource management to enhance the prosperity and well-being of African smallholder farmers, most of whom are women.
About 50 FCLA members from New Edubiase, Kumawu, Offinso, Ejura, Juaso and Asante Bekwai forest districts and wildlife parks, the Kumasi Zoo, RMSC, FC Training Centre, Audit Department, Timber Industry Development Division (TIDD), the Ashanti Regional Office of the Forestry Services Division of the FC and community representatives of female farmers in forest reserves participated in the programme.
Capacity building
Speaking at the programme at Asante Bekwai, the Ashanti President of the FCLA, Mrs Valerie Fumey Nassah, who is also a fellow of AWARD, said the programme had improved her capacity, as well as that of her two colleagues, in creating innovative systems for sustainable natural resource management.
She commended the Director of the RMSC, Mr Edward Obiyaw, for his financial support and the Asante Bekwai District Forest Manager, Mr Francis Bawuah, and his team for their guidance and support for the organisation of the programme.
Some topics treated at the programme included the “Role of Women in Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA); and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)”; and “Women in Leadership”.
Women’s involvement at all stages of VPA and REDD is expected to ensure the successful implementation of projects, especially in the areas of tree planting and advising people to desist from destroying forests and forest resources, as a positive way of mitigating the impact of climate change.
The women are also expected to enlighten other women in their communities on their roles in sustainable forest management and their contributions to afforestation programmes.
The meeting was facilitated by Vida Ackora Prah, Margaret Bejdaben and Linda Domfeh, all members of the association.