The Centre for Alternative Development (CENFAD-Ghana) has expressed concern about the spate of depletion of forest reserves in many communities in the Upper East Region.
CENFAD-Ghana is a non-governmental organisation working in the area of good governance and climate change.
The Programme Co-ordinator of CENFAD-Ghana, Mr Martin Abelwine, was speaking in Bolgatanga on Wednesday at a climate change workshop organised by CENFAD with support from Ibis Ghana.
The workshop, on the theme ‘Climate Change - Enhancing Partnership in improving Sustainable Livelihoods in Our Rural Community for Development,’ brought together Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), government agencies, civil society organisations (CSOs), Youth Against Climate Change (YACC) and women’s groups and journalists to deliberate on climate change issues in the region and to chart a way forward.
Mr Abelwine expressed fears about the looming threat of climate change in the region, adding that the MMDAs either have no by-laws on the environment or gazetted ones to ensure enforcement.
He also complained about the meagre budget allocated to the MMDAs’ climate change issues, and called on them to be more proactive by teaming up with the CSOs to develop good proposals to access climate change funding externally.
He explained that CENFAND, in collaboration with Ibis Ghana, is implementing a Climate Change Project, dubbed ‘Improving Sustainable Livelihoods through Participatory, Accountable and Transparency governance,’ which is a component under Ibis Ghana Democratic and Accountability Governance Programme.
He said the project, which is being implemented in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Bongo, and Kassena-Nankana West and Talensi Districts, has started yielding good results.
He referred to the YACC group in the Bongo District, which had teamed up with the assembly to grow trees in the area.
Ms Sofaya Musah, the Programme Facilitator of IBIS in charge of the Northern and Upper East regions, explained that the project seeks to support CSOs in identifying climate change-related threats to local community livelihoods and to advocate pro-poor climate policies and public programmes.
She indicated that Ibis Ghana is concerned about issues relating to livelihoods of people, particularly the vulnerable.
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