https://www.watchghana.com/ Ghana's no:1 credible news website that delivers up to date Local news quick and simple, Breaking news and other relevant information on a timely basis. Easy to use website, works quickly, step-by-step and faster en-us Me (developer@w3-multimedia.com) Copyright © 2026 WatchGhana Publication, All rights reserved || Powered By W3 Multimedia Ghana Limited 1970-01-01T00:00:00+00:00 https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12673/vice-president-bawumia-and-uk-minister-co-chair-ninth-uk-ghana-business-council-meetinghttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12673/vice-president-bawumia-and-uk-minister-co-chair-ninth-uk-ghana-business-council-meetingThe ninth session of the UK-Ghana Business Council (UKGBC) witnessed a high-profile gathering co-chaired by Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and UK Minister for Development and Africa, Rt Honourable Andrew Mitchell MP. The meeting, held in Accra, focused on critical discussions encompassing the global climate finance architecture and strategic commitments to drive sustainable development. Key highlights of the meeting included discussions on Ghana's dedication to unlocking climate financing for impactful activities such as carbon finance blends, electric vehicles (EVs), shipping, and the development of a hydrogen economy. The UK, in response, unveiled the Green Cities and Infrastructure Technical Assistance Programme for Ghana. This program aims to facilitate climate finance, promote low-carbon and climate-resilient infrastructure, and transform cities into innovation hubs while fostering sustainable economic growth. The UKGBC, established in 2018, has played a pivotal role in advancing significant projects in Ghana. Financing agreements for crucial initiatives like Phase II of the Kumasi International Airport, Tamale International Airport expansion, Kejetia Phase III, and the completion of the Bekwai Hospital have been achieved through the council's efforts. The meeting concluded with the signing of two Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs). The first, between the UK's Society Motor Manufacturing and Traders' Industry Forum and the Ministry of Trade's Auto Development Centre, focuses on skills, knowledge, and technology transfer partnerships. The second MoU, centered on Science, Technology, and Innovation, aims to drive economic prosperity in Ghana through advancements in science and technology. The collaborative agreements underscore the commitment of both nations to fostering sustainable development, innovation, and knowledge-sharing for mutual benefit. The meeting marks another stride in the fruitful partnership between the UK and Ghana, contributing to the realization of impactful projects and initiatives.

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]]>Miscellaneous2024-02-01T13:50:22+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12583/atewa-forest-is-a-no-go-area-for-mining-giadec-and-strategic-partner-must-walk-away-immediately-a-rocha-ghanahttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12583/atewa-forest-is-a-no-go-area-for-mining-giadec-and-strategic-partner-must-walk-away-immediately-a-rocha-ghanaA Rocha Ghana, an environmental Non-governmental Organisation has urgently reminded all investors and mining companies – especially the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation (GIADEC) ‘preferred strategic partner’ – that the  Atewa Forest is a no-go area for bauxite mining.  It said any investor or company planning to partner GIADEC in that endeavour will face immediate sustained local and international resistance, which will not stop until the destructive plans for Atewa Forest are dropped. GIADEC on Friday August, 5, 2022 announces that it has finalised negotiations with its ‘preferred strategic partner’ for the planned bauxite minning in the contested Atewa Forest (Project 3) which is going through the necessary approval processes. A statement signed by Mr Daryl Bosu, Deputy National Coordinator for A Rocha Ghana said the Atewa’s no-go area status for mining has already been made abundantly clear and as a reminder, it includes government’s April 2021 ban on prospect licensing and activities in all Ghana’s Forest Reserves, and Ghana’s mining guidelines that exclude sites like Atewa from mining. It said the Atewa’s 2021 status as an Alliance for Zero Extinction (AZE) site triggers the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standard 6 (IFC-PS6) confirming Atewa as a no-go area for mining and the ECOWAS Mining Directive states that lands with ‘peculiar risks to the preservation of security including areas which have environmental, social and cultural sensitivity to mining operations’ – a category into which Atewa clearly falls – must be made no-go zones for mining.   The statement said A Rocha Ghana also reminds government and GIADEC that only one year ago the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin gave voice to his desire that the Atewa Forest should be made a National Park to be protected in perpetuity for the benefits his communities derive from the forest, "the King of the forest wishes must be respected."  It said GIADEC and its partner should also be reminded that key multinational aluminium-user companies BMW, Tetra-Pak and Schüco International have expressed deep concerns about government’s plans, saying bauxite from the Atewa Forest would present an unacceptable risk for their companies. "They went so far as to say they would not accept aluminium derived from Atewa’s bauxite in their supply chains, with one adding if the mining did not meet certain forest and climate change standards. These companies no doubt speak for many. Their rejection would present a huge marketing challenge to GIADEC and its strategic partner". The A Rocha statement added that Resistance is also coming from local communities, civil society, professional institutions, state agencies, international development agencies, private companies, and individuals both in Ghana and abroad for a multitude of reasons. We again share some of these points as a reminder.   It said about 5 million people benefit from Atewa’s clean water every day and water contamination from bauxite mining is extremely dangerous and people are advised not even to touch it, let alone drink it, asking that where will the 5 million people, especially the forest communities, get their clean water from when it is contaminated by bauxite mining? The statement said Atewa Forest also protects key habitats and species, including the critically endangered frog species discovered by Center for Sceintic and Industrial Research and proudly announced in government’s 2022 budget statement, "Paradoxically, the bauxite mining will destroy the very site and species that government in 2021 was so proud of."  It said at a time when governments across the world including Ghana are ramping up actions to address biodiversity loss and climate change, mining Atewa will do the exact opposite and put one of Ghana's most spectacular sites for wildlife at risk. "Atewa has been classified by the Wallace Initiative as being in the top 2 per cent of all the world’s protected areas for biodiversity resilience to climate change and, consequently, for maintenance of ecosystem service and this quality will be lost if government’s mining plans go ahead".  The Environmental NGO statement again urgedp the government and GIADEC to exclude bauxite in the Atewa Forest as part of Ghana Integrated Aluminium Industry, because Ghana’s integrated aluminium industry can thrive without targeting the bauxite at Atewa Forest, "Ghana has both a ban on mining in Forest Reserves and mining guidelines that exclude Atewa from these developments. It said mining a forest that protects critical water sources, biodiversity, and other ecosystem services would be both myopic and dangerous for Ghana, especially for Atewa’s communities and future Ghanaians.  The A Rocha statement serve notice to GIADEC and its preferred strategic partner that, in view of the infringement of the development on our right to a healthy environment, water and climate resilience, both for downstream and upstream communities, "we will take all necessary legitimate steps available to us as citizens within and without the borders of Ghana to resist any plans to destroy Atewa Forest and the invaluable services it provides to Ghanaians."

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]]>Miscellaneous2022-08-15T08:43:32+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12472/spectacular-and-elusive-bird-rediscovered-in-atewa-foresthttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12472/spectacular-and-elusive-bird-rediscovered-in-atewa-forestThe Shelley’s Eagle-Owl, a giant owl and one of the most elusive and mysterious of all birds, has been rediscovered in the Atewa Forest, after going unnoticed in Ghana by scientists for almost 150 years. The discovery was made by two British scientists working in Ghana.          The Shelley’s Eagle-Owl Bubo shelleyi was described in 1872 from a specimen obtained from a local hunter in Ghana by Richard Bowdler Sharpe, curator of the bird collection at the Natural History Museum in London and founder of the British Ornithologists’ Club.     A Statement signed by Mr Daryl Bosu, Deputy National Coordinator of A Rocha Ghana, an Environmental Non-government Al Organizational and copied to the media said there have been no confirmed sightings in Ghana since then, and very few glimpses elsewhere. It remains almost completely unknown. The only photographs of a living individual were grainy images taken in 1975 of a captive individual behind bars at Antwerp Zoo.          This all changed when, on the 16th of October 2021, the species was conclusively rediscovered by Dr Robert Williams, a freelance ecologist from Somerset, and Dr Joseph Tobias, a biologist at Imperial College London and leader of a UK-government funded field project studying biological impacts of agricultural development in Africa.         The scientists, who visited the Atewa Forest during their time in Ghana, disturbed the huge bird from its daytime roost while they were walking in the forest, and initially thought it was an eagle as it flew through the tall trees.        Luckily, it perched on a low branch, where they had a few seconds to clinch the identification and take the first known photographs of a wild Shelley’s Eagle-Owl.        According to records available, there have been occasional reports of Shelley’s Eagle-Owl over recent decades with brief sightings or calls heard from a few different localities across West and Central Africa from Sierra Leone to Angola and eastern Congo. Most of these records are unconfirmed.          The species has therefore become a ‘holy grail’ for birdwatchers in Africa and beyond. Shelley’s Eagle Owl is officially classified as Vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature with an estimated population of only a few thousand individuals.        The fact that a predator of such massive size had become essentially invisible over a large swathe of Africa fuelled speculation as to its current whereabouts and reasons for its apparent rarity.          Commenting on the observation, Dr Nathaniel Annorbah of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development, Ghana, said “This is a sensational discovery. We’ve been searching for this mysterious bird for years in the western lowlands, so to find it here in ridgetop forests of Eastern Region is a huge surprise.”          He said this latest discovery adds credence to the clarion call by Civil Society Organisationss (CSOs), State Agencies as well as the International Community of the need for the Government of Ghana to secure the Atewa Forest by protecting it from all extractive activities that will destroy its ecological integrity.   Dr Annorbah said, it was also imperative that we collectively pursue a green development pathway, that will ensure the complete protection of the forest’s ecosystem services of water provisioning, habitat for teeming biodiversity as well as climate amelioration services, which cannot be overstated        In November 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature passed an International Resolution calling for global action to make Atewa Forest a National Park to secure its invaluable biological assets as well as its crucial water provisioning services for over five million Ghanaians.          The Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II also in July 2021, reiterated the urgency to protect Atewa Forest as a National Park.        With all the recent discoveries in Atewa, it is becoming increasingly clear that Atewa Forest is the jewel in the crown of Ghana’s forests and needs all the necessary protection it can get.

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]]>Miscellaneous2021-10-25T21:49:41+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12401/another-new-frog-species-conraua-sagyimase-discovered-in-atewa-range-forest-reservehttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12401/another-new-frog-species-conraua-sagyimase-discovered-in-atewa-range-forest-reserveA newly discovered critically endangered frog species found nowhere else in the world beyond the Atewa Range Forest Reserve has been described and published. With the common name Atewa Slippery frog, the new species has been named Conraua sagyimase after the community of Sagyimase at the foot of the Atewa Forest that has supported work on the frog. The Akan common name for the new species is “kwae? mu nsutene ap?nkyer?ne”, meaning the frog of the forest streams. This discovery comes on the back of the recent global designation of Atewa Forest as an Alliance for Zero Extinction site (AZE), a designation that means the area is now a ‘No-Go Area’ for companies and banks adhering to the International Finance Corporation’s Performance Standards for project financing. Earlier this year, another new frog species named Afia Birago Puddle Frog gave rise to this AZE designation. The Conraua sagyimase is found only in five streams in the northern part of the Atewa Range Forest Reserve. The scientists, who include Ghanaian Scientist Dr Caleb Ofori-Boateng from the Center for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) -Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), highlighted that the new frog species occupies relatively pristine upland evergreen forest habitats within an elevation range of ~ 500–750 meters above sea level. It occurs in rocky, clear, generally fast-flowing streams and waterfalls, although some individuals have also been recorded in slow-flowing streams. In a statement signed by Mr Daryl Bosu, Deputy National Coordinator of A Rocha Ghana, an Environmental Non-Governmental Organization and copied to the media said, in the  published paper, Dr. Caleb Ofori-Boateng said “the name of the new species has been chosen in order to honor the people of the Sagyimase community. The statement said Dr Ofori-Boateng revealed that the Sagyimase community supported the research of the scientists as well as the anti-mining campaigns during 2006–2007, and continue to do so even now, “We hope that the naming of this endemic species will further encourage the community in their fight for an intact Atewa Range.” It said the discovery again highlights the importance of the Atewa Range Forest Reserve as a critical conservation area within the Upper Guinean biodiversity hotspot, lending further support to the national and international advocacy campaign to make Atewa Range Forest a National Park in its entirety. The statement said new frog species adds to the more than ten other species of wildlife, including butterflies and other insects, frogs, spiders, plants and trees, found nowhere else in the world other than the Atewa Forest. In November 2020, the International Union on the Conversation of Nature (IUCN) Resolution 087 was passed,  asking for global action to make Atewa Forest a National Park to secure this invaluable collection of biodiversity as well as its crucial water provisioning services for over five million Ghanaians. More than ever before, it is evidentially clear that the Atewa Range Forest Reserve needs to be managed as a National Park to preserve its biocultural assets, as reiterated by the Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin II in a recent meeting with the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Tourism Authority. The names of the other endemic species are Aframomum atewae, Monanthotaxis atewensis, Rinorea kibbiensis, Ochna kibbiensis, Anthene Atewa, Mylothris Atewa, Anansus Atewa, Ricinoides Atewa, Pseudoneureclipsis Atewa.

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]]>Miscellaneous2021-07-08T09:04:46+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12379/youth-alliance-commends-gov-t-for-green-ghana-initiative-urges-protection-for-atewa-foresthttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/12379/youth-alliance-commends-gov-t-for-green-ghana-initiative-urges-protection-for-atewa-forestThe Youth Alliance for Green Ghana (YAGG), has commended Mr Samuel Abu Jinapor, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and all stakeholders who contributed to the institution of the Green Ghana Initiative. The YAAG also congratulated Ghanaians for the massive support and cooperation demonstrated in making the P Ghana (National Tree Planting) Day marked on 11th June 2021, fruitful. A statement signed by Mr Kenneth Agyir, National Coordinator of YAAG and copied to the media said as young people devoted and committed to ensuring a Green Ghana, we find the overwhelming support given the initiative, a pure testament of the responsiveness of the Ghanaian people to the cause of achieving environmental sustainability in the country. The statement said as indicated in the address of Mr Jinapor on the Green Ghana Day, the guiding principles of the initiative were to: plant a minimum of five (5) million trees that day, to ensure that the logistics, resources, funding, manpower and participation in the Tree Planting Exercise were national, broad-based, non-partisan, based on citizen ownership, and anchored on collective action of the Ghanaian people.       "It was also to institutionalize the exercise as an annual activity, with increases in the number of trees and a goal of one 100million trees being planted in a day, in the short term; to establish Green Ghana Clubs in educational institutions to support the efforts; to include economic and fruit trees, such as timber, rosewood, neem, and so on in the planting exercise for forest cover and as investments, towards the growth of the economy.       "Also to set up a monitoring team chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of the Forestry Commission to nurture, nurse and monitor the seedlings planted to maturity; to present quarterly reports on their growth, and to provide, at the first anniversary of the Green Ghana Day, a report on the state of the five million trees planted".       It said Mr Jinapor in his address again made a pledge, worthy of note that: “The survival of the seedlings planted is more important than the planting. We intend to do everything possible to ensure we achieve a high rate of survival; this exercise will not constitute the cessation of ongoing afforestation programmes; on the contrary, we intend to enhance such efforts.”       The statement said as a Youth Alliance dedicated to environmental conservation, and a sustainable green economy development of the country, they found it fulfilling to have participated in the tree planting exercise, especially on the national scale.       "Likewise, we join in the host of citizens who are keen to contribute our might and will, as admonished us by our national anthem, to safeguard the sustainable realization of the goals of the initiative."       It appealed Ghanaians, especially the vibrant youth force to commit to the preservation and judicious use of environment for collective benefit.      "On the back of this praise and admiration for the Government’s display of its commitment to a Green Ghana, we find an opportune occasion to remind the government to take the right action by securing Atewa Forest against all forms of mining activities.       An occasion to serve a gentle reminder to the government and the good people of Ghana, of the inherent socio-ecological wealth the Atewa Forest presents to our dear country, it added".       The statement said the Atewa Forest and its geological architecture was a hydrological gem of the country, providing invaluable water services to over 5 million Ghanaian and despite all the lapses in protecting the place over the years, the forest remained one of the most biologically rich habitats in the world, with so many species found nowhere else in the world and over a 100 species categorized endangered on the global Red List of species.       It added that Scientists also described the Atewa Forest as providing the last buffering areas to help maintain suitable climate for food security and wellbeing in the face of global warming and that by all standards, Atewa Forest was not a place to be traded by any Government, or Corporation for its bauxite resources which is beneath all the invaluable services.       "We appeal to the government and the people of Ghana, to, desist from any mining activities in the forest and all other forests, reserved for ecological purposes in the country.       Our dear country is blessed; in mineral, human, forests and many other resources. As a people, we have since time immemorial symbolized hope and resilience to many across the world.       "Now as the world faces a climate and environmental emergency with its countless uncertainties, let us remain the beacon of hope. Let us continue to symbolize our legacy, of an ecologically accountable society for future generations".

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]]>Miscellaneous2021-06-29T19:55:18+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11999/covid-19-community-development-alliancecda-supports-wa-municipal-assemblyhttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11999/covid-19-community-development-alliancecda-supports-wa-municipal-assemblyCommunity Development Alliance(CDA), community development and advocacy Non-governmental and not-for-profit organisation working in Upper West region to alleviate the sufferings of the vulnerable in deprived communities, on Thursday, April 2 donated Personal Protection Equipment (PPEs) to the Wa Municipal Assembly to help combat the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the Wa Municipal Area.   The gesture which took place at the Wa Municipal Assembly was in response to an appeal for support issued by the Wa Municipal Assembly to partners and the business community to complement government's effort in minimising the spread of the pandemic.   The CDA donated 10 Veronica buckets,10 hand washing basins and 10 gallons of liquid soap.   Mr Salifu Issifu Kanton, the Executive Director of CDA, who presented the items to the MCE for Wa, said the call for support by the Wa Municipal Assembly to help fight Covid-19 was made at the right time and met the overall objective of his organisation to collaborate with partners to alleviate the sufferings of the vulnerable in deprived communities through advocacy for a peaceful and prosperous society. "In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is faced with immeasurable human hardship and has left in its trails terrible economies thereby affecting the normal order of human lives and activities" Mr Kanton lamented. He stated that it required a collaborative effort by governments, civil society, corporate organisations and other partners to fight the pandemic and minimise its effect. The Municipal Chief Executive, Hon Alhaji Tahiru Issahaku Moomin who received the items on behalf of the Assembly, acknowledged that the gesture by CDA  was not only exemplary but also responsive to the needs of the people of the Municipality. "I cannot appreciate CDA well enough with words for responding to our call to help in these challenging times," said Hon Tahiru Issahaku Moomin. According to the MCE, the gesture by CDA was commendable and worthy of emulation by other partner organisations working in the spirit of human development in the Wa Municipal Area.   He, therefore, called on the business community and non-governmental organisations to support the government who is already supporting the assembly to fulfil its mandate in spite of scarce resources.   The MCE promised to put the materials donated by CDA into judicious use for the benefit of members of affected communities.

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]]>Miscellaneous2020-04-03T15:17:00+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11679/7th-west-african-clean-energy-fair-opens-novemberhttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11679/7th-west-african-clean-energy-fair-opens-novemberOver 1,500 people will participate in this year’s Seventh West African Clean Energy and Environment Trade Fair and Conference (WACEE ‘19) which takes place at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) from November 6 to 8, 2019. More than 30 top level speakers are expected at the conference which will have about 40 exhibitors with keen interests in exploring opportunities in the West African energy and environment ecosystems such as automotive and transport, biofuel and agriculture, energy management and efficiency, energy storage, E-waste, innovative packaging and construction . The three-day conference, which has been relaunched on the theme: “WACEE goes greener”, will bring together, industry experts from three focus industrial sectors, namely; Clean Energy, Circular Economy and Water.” The delegate at the German Industry and Commerce in Ghana, Mr Michael Blank, told media practitioners during a briefing in Accra that the conference would highlight on harnessing innovation for a sustainable future with speakers from sectors such as politics, business, energy and environment from Ghana and West Africa. He said the event would include open interactive sessions, insightful workshops, tailor-made training programmes and an exhibition. Mr Blank noted that each time they organised the event, they tried to improve on it. He stressed that Germany had the competency in a number of areas, adding that for this year’s event, they would come out with a different WACEE, adding that they did not want to just organise a conference but to add the traditional aspect to the programme to make it more exciting and attractive. The delegate pointed out that, “Since its inception in 2012, WACEE organised by the Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Ghana (AHK Ghana) has developed into one of the most relevant meeting grounds for renewable energy and environment topics in West Africa.” Good reasons Touching on what to expect at WACEE ‘19, Madam Katharina Felgenhaeur, Head of Competence Centre, Energy and Environment said the entire programme had been revamped to make it respond to innovative drives on the market. She said that was because the event did not come on last year for good reasons and they had to re-assess it to ascertain where they were on the market. “Because this has to do with competency, we are trying to get expertise and build partnerships and develop opportunities in Ghana. There will be potential latest developments in renewable energy and stakeholders will be brought together to discuss such areas as water and circular economy, among others, and there will also be some side events. Madam Katharina said they were expecting participation to include people from not only Ghana, but throughout West Africa and Europe. WACEE challenge The Project Manager, Energy and Environment, Mr Andrew N M Aryee, said the rebranded concept had kicked off with an idea contest dubbed: ‘WACEE Challenge’ to promote innovative ideas that addressed challenges in the West African energy and environment ecosystems. She said WACEE Challenge offered an exclusive opportunity for companies, start-ups, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), schools, academic and research institutions working within water, circular economy or clean energy in West Africa to pitch on an international platform in front of experts, business leaders and investors and win a free booth at WACEE ’19 to showcase and further develop their idea. The selection of the WACEE Challenge 2019, he noted, would be done in two phases. In phase one, he said participants would be expected to submit a one-page summary and a short video of two minutes maximum, clearly defining problems they had identified and propose ground-breaking solutions. In phase two, they will give selected participants the opportunity to present a more detailed concept and pitch their proposed solution to a panel of judges after which the shortlisted participants will be notified. AHK AHK Ghana enhances sustainable economic activities between Germany, Ghana and other West African economies including Mali, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Senegal and Burkina Faso. Drawing from its vast experience and expertise, AHK Ghana provides high quality services to German, Ghanaian and other West African companies seeking a comprehensive overview of the various markets of interest in order to make well-informed business decisions.

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]]>Miscellaneous2019-05-15T23:09:59+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11194/feature-conservation-of-cash-crops-and-trees-busacgactaccs-interventionhttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11194/feature-conservation-of-cash-crops-and-trees-busacgactaccs-interventionThere is growing awareness of the importance of ecosystem services such as the harvest of Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) for rural communities in developing countries. An estimated 1.6 billion people depend partly or fully on forest products to sustain their livelihoods and where income generating livelihood options are scarce, the sale of NTFPs is often the only means to earn cash income. Cash crops and trees are the main resources of survival for many Ghanaian farmers because cash crop production enables farmers and farm workers to increase their living standards, which eventually contributes to food security. Further, and perhaps more importantly, the production of cash crops offers farmers opportunities for investment and improving management of their farms, stimulating agricultural innovation and increasing yields. With the destruction of these crops and trees, farmers are gradually losing out of business and their sources of livelihood, plunging them in poverty, depleting the vegetation that influences rainfall to support the production of other crops and increasing climate change effect on development efforts. Problem Studies show that tropical deforestation is one of the most serious environmental problems in recent decades and has become a major global concern due to the importance of tropical forests in biodiversity conservation and its critical role in global climate change. Deforestation is the conversion of forest to an alternative permanent non-forested land use such as agriculture; grazing or urban development deforestation is a primary concern for developing countries of the tropics as it represents the shrinking areas of the tropical forests. The struggle to save Ghana’s rain forests and other forests continues and there is a growing public concern about the issue. Uncontrolled depletion of forest resources are affecting economic activities and threatening the livelihood and cultural integrity of forest-dependent people at the local level. It is reduces the supply of forest products and causes siltation, flooding and soil degradation. Reducing tropical deforestation is therefore of national importance for the sustainable production of timber and non-timber forest products. Notwithstanding the global acknowledgement of the importance of forests, particularly tropical forests, research shows that national forest area has continued to decline whilst agricultural land continues to expand in tropical areas. Undoubtedly, cash crop agriculture requires the management of various types of risk such as soil degradation and price variability. Communities with increased specialization in cash crops have the potential to face a drop in incomes when harvests fail due to pests or drought, when prices slump or when they lose market access. Cash crops not only contribute to increased agriculture production and income of rural households, but also to sustainable intensification. Sustainable growth will increasingly be needed in the future, when Ghana needs to feed her growing people. Cash crops may help in accelerating these yields and help Ghana on a path of sustainable strengthening. But, cash crops and trees have come under severe human activity attack, risking their depletion and the nation has not been able to arrest the dimension. Ghana is still among one of the most advance tropical zones in Africa and that the Forestry Commission has also established a rapid respond unit to deal with illegal chainsaw operators and other forest offences. But remorseless destruction of forests has been going on. Nobody knows exactly how much of the nation’s rain forests have already been destroyed and continue to be razed each year because data is often imprecise and subject to differing interpretations. However, it is obvious that the area of tropical rainforest is diminishing and the rate of tropical rain forest destruction is escalating in the country, despite increased environmental activism and awareness. Key Contributing factors Many negative environmental practices undertaken by man such as perennial bush burning and illegal harvesting of trees, illegal and small scale mining, climate change, untimely weeding and harvesting, lack of access to quality seeds and planting materials are key causes to the problem of cash crops and trees production. According to the Ghana Association of Commercial Tree Growers and Cash Crops (GACTACC) cash crops (cocoa, cashew, coffee, citrus and mango) and other trees (teak, mahogany, rubber and moringer) farmers in Ghana are losing their crops and trees due to the activities of illegal chainsaw operators, charcoal burners, small scale miners and yam stick cutters. The result is low productivity of the crops and trees and low incomes with rising poverty levels and also the loss of vegetation needed to support rainfall for farming and control climate change. Tree Conservation Laws Ghana is richly endowed with renewable natural resources, which have played vital roles in its socio-economic development. The colonial administration enacted Legislations to control the felling of commercial tree species to protect the forest from degradation. Subsequently, the Forestry Department was established later to control indiscriminate felling of trees. The Timber Resource Management Act, 1998 thus Act 547 talks about the grant of Timber Rights in a manner that secures the sustainable management and utilization of the timber resources of Ghana and to provide for related purposes. Under this law is the Timber Rights which prohibits from harvesting timber without Timber utilization contract (Ministry for Environment, 1998). The Ministry for Environment (1999) put together the environment assessment regulations, 1999 schedule to among other things control logging (Management of forested land for the primary purpose of harvesting timber in a contract area) and Forestry. It is well touted in the international community that Ghana a well-established range of laws and regulations which govern her forestry sector, and making appreciable efforts to protect its forest resources and control illegal logging. Unfortunately, however, there has been inconsistency, lack of transparency, and large amounts of illegal logging still prevalent in the country. For decades, the state has allowed timber and mining corporations free to destroy Ghana’s forests and as a result Ghana’s forest cover has dwindled from 8.2 million hectares to less than 1.5 million hectares between 1900 and 1990. Between 1990 and 2005, the rate of deforestation actually accelerated to a historical high with significant forest reserves losing their entire forest cover. This is largely attributed to the chainsaw milling sector despite it being outlawed in 1998,weak law enforcement, poor domestic production standards, and a large export market that have continued to drive illegal chainsaw milling. These illegalities serve as tolls to cash crop and trees farmers since the chainsaw milling are not done only in the public forests but also on privately owned plantations. Intervention The Ghana Association of Commercial Tree Growers and Cash Crops (GACTACC) is a farmer-based organisation in the Techiman Municipality of Brong-Ahafo Region established in 2003. In collaboration with the Center of Posterity Interest Organisation (COPIO), an NGO and service providers, the GACTCC which has a membership of 610, has sought funding from the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) fund implementing a project to protect trees and cash crops against illegal lumbering. The 11-month project titled “advocating for conservation of cash crops and trees against illegal lumbering for sustainable use” will push enforcement of existing tree conservation laws and enactment and enforcement of byelaws. According to Mr Henry Korang Fosu, the Chairman of the GACTACC, effective implementation of the project would increase cash crop production, incomes of farmers with improved government tax returns. It would also motivate the youth to go into cash crop and tree farming, thereby creating more jobs and reducing teething youth unemployment problem in the country. Mr Fosu said preserving cash crops and other economic trees would enhance good vegetation growth to induce rainfall for farming activities and help control climate change in the country as well. He expressed appreciation to the BUSAC fund and its partners for the support, and urged the project implementing communities to support and make it achieve desirable results. Way forward Dr John Akparep, a lecturer at the University of Development Studies (UDS) and a researcher emphasised that tree conservation was collective and shared responsibility. By conserving trees, he said the nation slow down global warming and reduced climate impact, which remained greatest contemporary threat to forest ecosystems, biodiversity and livelihood of poor forest fringe communities. Dr Akparep, who is also a consultant to COPIO called for strict enforcement of existing laws against the negative environmental practices and appropriate sanctions meted on culprits. In this regard, he called for the establishment of a special task force to fight the illegal chainsaw operations menace as been done against illegal mining. Dr Akparep said the temporary ban on logging and timber harvesting in forest reserves must be continued and monitored saying government taskforce set up to monitor forest and arrest illegal chainsaw operators should be provided with adequate logistics. Communities along forest fringe areas should also be motivated to set up local taskforce to assist in the fight against illegal logging and lumbering.

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]]>Miscellaneous2018-12-17T17:29:48+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11174/uwrndc-raises-red-flags-over-farmers-day-celebrationhttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11174/uwrndc-raises-red-flags-over-farmers-day-celebrationThe Upper West Regional Communications Unit of the National Democratic Congress has accused the ruling government of awarding members of the New Patriotic Party at the 2018 Farmers Day celebration. This was contained in a statement issued by the opposition party to express its disappointment about the trajectory after 33 successful celebration of famers day and the discrepancies that occurred in the Daffiama-Busie-Issa district Farmers Day celebration. The statement is below NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS UPPER WEST REGIONAL COMMUNICATION SECRETARAIT PRESS RELEASE 2018, NATIONAL FARMERS DAY CELEBRATION AND THE POLITICISATION OF THE ELEVEN UPPER WEST MUNICIPAL AND DISTRICT LEVEL AWARDS TUESDAY 12TH DECEMBER, 2018 We bring you warm greetings even as we remain struck with outer dismay and melancholy caused by the bizarre way the 2018 National farmers’ day was conducted in the Upper West Region. For an occasion that has over three decades of credibility and success, one would have thought that, last Friday the 7th of December, 2018 could have been another opportunity where we all will be united as a nation to show appreciation to our gallant farmers who have endured all the odds throughout the year to ensure that, our bodies and souls are kept together. This was never to be the case in the District and Municipal level farmers day celebrations in the Upper West Region, as the occasions metamorphosed into political award ceremonies where mostly, loyal NPP foot soldiers were awarded under the caption of ‘best farmers’. Indeed, a nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for. This is the stark reality that has dawned on very hardworking farmers in the Upper West Region, who were denied the appropriate recognition because they were not card bearing members of the NPP. In the spirit of patting deserving farmers at their backs and getting many more motivated to venture into farming, one would have thought that, the under pinning conditions for winning awards would be based on the capacity of one’s agricultural engagement and how one is able to use his or her farming activities to positively impact one’s society. This was not the case in the Upper West Region as various government appointees and party functionaries manipulated the various search committees for deserving awardees and in some instances, demanded at the grounds of the ceremonies that, deserving names be changed for their party functionaries. The acrimonious District and Municipal level awards reached its crescendo when a fall out in the Daffiama Bussie Issa District almost led to a communal violence. The District Director of Agric under the purported instruction of the District Chief Executive and the NPP Constituency Chairman of DBI instructed his subordinate officers to change the name of the best farmer to the name of party member who is a polling station chairman at Fian Primary school. This ‘white collar robbery’ did not go down well with the Subordinate District Agriculture workers who defied those orders to insist on the right thing. It also infuriated the farmers who had gathered from various communities only to be greeted with such mess. It took the intervention of the police who whisked away the NPP Chairman to prevent him from being lynched by the crowd that had become agitated. The story in the Wa West District was not different as onlookers were bewildered by the impunity with which partisan affiliation has become the bench mark to winning a best farmers award. In the Sissala West District, it was time to reward party loyalists as usual. Onlookers were bewildered by the fact that, some awardees that were called out have no known record of agricultural engagement. The discontent was not different in the Sissala East Municipality where onlookers bowed their heads in shame when the Sissala East Presiding member who is a staunch NPP supporter was awarded to the amazement of farmers. Below is the list of District/Municipal best farmers in the Upper West Region. Wa Municipal…………….. Alhaji Issahaku Iddrisu Wa West…………………… Nuhu Salia Wa East………………… Abu Adamu Nadowli Kaleo…..…………Mr Moses Daffiama Bussie Issa……………… Habibu Iddrisu Jirapa Municipal………………… Sulley Dorsaa Lawra………………………Naa Patrick Nandom……………….Bele-Ire Juliana Lambussie…………………….. Hon John Vienny Sissala West…………………………. Hon Sakule Sissala East…………………………….Hon Tohari Jabumie It was therefore not surprising when Mr. Abdul- Rahman Ajar (Elder brother of NPP Regional Vice Chairman and NPP himself) was adjudged as the best Regional farmer in the Upper West Region. Whilst we do not frown on the award of deserving loyal farmers of any political orientation, we are of the firm conviction that, the entire process in the Upper West was generally compromised and anchored on partisan consideration rather than merit. But for a negligible few of the awardees across the various Districts and Municipalities, majority of awardees are staunch NPP supporters. This goes to confirm the conviction that, the government’s self-taunted planting for food and jobs and other agricultural policies are vehicles created to improve the lot of NPP supporters to the detriment of the ordinary masses. It is sad that, the NPP Government continues to polarize a well knitted Ghanaian society on political consideration. We wish to implore the NPP Government to desist from such acts as Agriculture primarily forms the nucleus of our survival. We also want to call on government to immediately investigate the circumstances that led to wide spread discontent in many District and Municipal Assemblies after the farmers day award ceremony in the Upper West Region. We hope government will act expeditiously to ensure deserving farmers are the ones that are awarded and not party functionaries. Thank you. …Signed… Puo-Ire Prosper (RCO-UWR)

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]]>Miscellaneous2018-12-12T14:09:05+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11025/nominations-open-to-reward-agricultural-journalisthttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/11025/nominations-open-to-reward-agricultural-journalistCommunication experts in the production and translating of best farming practice materials for farmers in to local languages in the Savannah regions of Ghana is set to open nominations for the second edition of its Harmattan Awards For Development Journalism. The awards which cover four categories of Radio, Print, TV and local language (radio) had its first edition in February this year in at Tamale Institute of Local Government. The translation of local language farming materials has been the idea behind the local language category. This is believed to be currently the most appropriate form of communicating best farming practices to our farmers now. Contrywise Communication for five years in the Savannah region of Ghana has translated over 20 local language video materials for farmers in the rural communities and screening to over 200 villages across the area with the use of tricycle multimedia vans. At a press conference here in Wa last Friday, Miss Salome Sapio Wesono who spoke on behalf of the Executive Director of the company called on developmental journalist to file their stories for recognition. Three categories were open for nominations and only two categories were awarded after entries for the television categories did not meet the required number of stories for entries per individual. A presentation was however made for journalist on the scoop of evaluations to be used for assessments by the panel of three expert whiles journalist took turns to make enquires on other concerns. The second edition is expected to see all ultimate winners take home brand new lap top computers, Citation, Plaque and other surprises.

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]]>Miscellaneous2018-11-07T12:47:49+00:00https://www.watchghana.com/en/details/10733/Video-Material,-most-essential-for-farmers-Dr.-Roger-L.-Kanton-of-CSRIhttps://www.watchghana.com/en/details/10733/Video-Material,-most-essential-for-farmers-Dr.-Roger-L.-Kanton-of-CSRIA Principal Research Scientist at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)-Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) has called on stakeholders in the agricultural setting to consider education of farmers through the use of video clips. Dr. Roger L. Kanton said, considering the various forms of disseminating information to farmers, the production of video materials for farmers was a better option as it would as well educate the general masses on best farming practices. The Agronomist, maintained that a visual memory would be easily remembered by the farmer especially that they are translated into local languages.'in school our children chew pour pass and forget.. ..but they don't forget the videos they watch' he added. The head of Agronomic Systems at the Upper East Region Farming Systems Research Group (UER-FSRG) said the videos which would be targeted at farmers would also benefit younger people as they would have learnt some basics in farming whilst growing up, Quoting the popular saying "catch them young" which means our future could be encouraged by such materials. Dr. Roger Kanton who spoke to our source at the sideline of a video screening exercise on the best practices of Soybean cultivation, at the Oasis Lounge in Tamale yesterday, said multimedia access in the rural areas should not be under rated and should be taken advantageously to improve the livelihood of the farmer for our food security. The Video which was produced by Countrywise Communications and Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) with support from Green-ef, Sairla and CSIR-SARI in to eight local languages, which include, Dagaare, Buli, Gonja, Lekpakpa, Sisaali, Kusal, Mambruli, and Kasem. The farming materials is to be sent across to two hundred (200) communities across the northern part of the country. A total of Seventy Thousand people are being targeted for this exercise as Soybean is described as the most economical legume for our farmers. Communication specialist for CABI, Duncan Sones said the project was also creating an access database for farmers across the catchment areas. Mr. Sones added that the best way to reach out to farmers was to create much convenience with readily available information for the farmer and as such farmers could be contacted with any useful information to better their field production. The exercise has also engaged the services of Tamale based musicians Chuggu Boys on composing a song on the best practices for Soybean farming to serve as curtain raisers during the screening at the communities.

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