UAE Grants Ghana $30m
-As President Akufo-Addo rallies world leaders to support nature-positive actions to tackle climate change
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has urged the international community, both public and private sectors, to collaborate with Ghana in implementing its Country Package under the Forest and Climate Leaders’ Partnership (FCLP)
The initiative, titled “Resilient Ghana: Advancing Climate Action for Prosperity,” was announced at a high-level event during the ongoing twenty-eighth Conference of Parties (COP28) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
At COP26 in Glasgow, world leaders adopted the Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030.
Subsequently, Ghana, alongside the United Kingdom, launched the FCLP at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
The Country Package is part of the FCLP’s initiative to address Forest Landscape Restoration in alignment with each country’s Nationally Determined Contributions.
The Country Packages is an initiative of the FCLP to design, develop and implement an integrated system-wide holistic suit of interventions to address Forest Landscape Restoration, according to each country’s Nationally Determined Contributions.
Since the launch of the FCLP, Ghana has been working on this Country Package, which was socialised broadly on the sidelines of New York Climate Week in September, 2023, in a workshop which had in attendance a number of partners, including the World Bank, the Tony Blair Institute, Bezos Earth Fund, the Governments of the USA, UK, Norway, Singapore.
President Akufo-Addo called for global collaboration to mobilize support for nature-positive action such as forest solutions, emphasizing the urgency to implement forest solutions to tackle climate change.
The Resilient Ghana initiative comprises three main pillars: advancing nature-based industrialization and sustainable rural development, building an inclusive green economy, and scaling climate ambition.
The President highlighted the transformative impact of the Country Package, estimating that it would generate approximately $12 billion by 2030.
The initiatives include scaling compliance and voluntary carbon markets, promoting sustainable agriculture through oil palm and cocoa farming models, promoting eco-tourism., restoring degraded forest lands, and enhancing eco-tourism.
President Akufo-Addo stated that “Resilient Ghana” aims to strengthen the economy, protect and restore forests, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost cocoa production, position the country as a global leader in sustainable timber, and scale up tourism potential while creating jobs and livelihoods for people..
He emphasized the undervaluation and under-protection of the world’s forests and highlighted the importance of showcasing how to transform the forest sector and strengthen the economy simultaneously.
This, he said will be achieved, through strategies, such as building a strong foundation to access international carbon markets, strengthening agricultural and mining practices, promoting aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme, and reinforcing the enabling conditions for a just transition
The Country Package will be implemented in collaboration with partners from the government and the private sector, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United States, Singapore, and Canada.
The UAE has already committed $30 million to support the initiative.
Leaders from various nations, including the United States and Singapore, commended Ghana’s leadership in forests, climate, and nature.
The UAE High Level Champion on COP28,Razan Al-Mubarak, commended Ghana on her leadership on forests, climate and nature, adding that the UAE is “pleased to deepen our bilateral cooperation with Ghana by joining the Country Package for Forests, Nature and Climate and supporting development of sustainable agriculture forest restoration, ecosystem services and sustainable livelihoods for local communities.”
The United States Special Presidential Envoy on Climate, Secretary John Kerry, in a goodwill message said “The United States is pleased to join partners in Resilient Ghana in supporting Ghana’s ambitious efforts to halt deforestation and restore 2 million ha of degraded lands.” On her part, the Minister for Sustainability and Environment of Singapore, Ms. Grace Fu, said “Singapore will continue to work with Ghana to operationalise and implement this initiative.”
World leaders are meeting in Dubai, UAE, to discuss measures to halt climate change and its devastating consequences on lives and livelihoods.
The COP28 conference in Dubai, UAE, is set to run until December 12, 2023, with countries making commitments towards halting climate change and its devastating consequences.
