Minister satisfied with Ghana Landscape Restoration Project
The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Ophelia Mensah-Hayford, has expressed satisfaction with the level of work done so far in the Kwahu area on the implementation of the Ghana Landscape Restoration Project, describing it as successful.
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The minister made the remarks at Abetifi last Tuesday after visiting four land restoration sites in the Kwahu East District in the Eastern Region, where the trees that were plantedare flourishing.
The minister, who was accompanied by the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Isaac Agyapong, and some senior officials of the ministry, the Forestry Commission (F) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), visited the restoration sites at Abene, Damano, Dwerebease and Hyewohode.
Mrs Mensah-Hayford indicated that the flourishing trees at the sites and farmers returning to the sites were an indication that the restoration project would yield the required results.
’For what I have seen has given me hope that the plantations are coming up and the land will be restored to its full ecology after cattle had degraded such arable lands.
‘’Some of the trees planted two years ago, together with others are doing well, and as such the project will not be in vain’’, the minister stated.
Climatic condition
According to Mrs Mensah-Hayford, for some time now it had not been raining heavily but since the government took over the lands and started planting the trees, it had been raining and the farmers were happy about such a climatic condition.
The government, she, therefore, stated would encourage the farmers to plant food crops such as cassava and plantain on the lands for their full benefit to be realised.
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Mrs Mensah-Hayford also said cocoa which was previously flourishing but was destroyed could once again be planted on the restored lands.
Two thematic areas
A Director in charge of Global Environmental Fund at the EPA, Isaac Charles Acquah, gave an overview of the project and said it covered two thematic areas, landscape restoration which dealt with restoring degraded lands while the others were small- scale mining, which dealt with formalising artisanal mining.
He explained that while small-scale mining was under the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, landscape restoration was being handled by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation.
Objective
The objective of the project, Mr Acquah said, was to sustainably manage the country’s agrarian resources to increase the benefits for communities within the area, adding that would enable them to withstand the effects of climate change.
Mr Acquah said the Kwahu East District was one of the 26 political entities in the eight regions being tackled.
Political entities
Mr Agyapong said it had been a privilege for his district to be one of the beneficiary political entities.
He said over the past two years, the project had categorised the advancement of sustainable land management practices in the area which had positively impacted the lives of people in 18 communities in the district.
The Landscape Restoration Project is being funded by the World Bank and two grants from Germany, with support from the Global Environment Facility.
Writers email: haruna.wunpini@graphic.com.gh