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The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, says the fight against deforestation and forest degradation is critical to Ghana’s successes of tackling Climate Change.

With Climate Change being, perhaps, the biggest threat to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, President Akufo-Addo noted that it is fast becoming a developmental issue of grave concern to most leaders across the world.

It is for this reason, the President added, that signatories to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) have initiated the process of reducing considerably greenhouse gas emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, and also encourage tree planting.

President Akufo-Addo made this known on Thursday, 19th October, 2017, when he delivered the keynote address at the 2nd National REDD+ Forum, on the theme “Strengthening Law Enforcement for Effective REDD+ Implementation.”

The President reiterated the commitment of his government towards every action that prevents forest degradation and deforestation, and also increases the country’s forest cover.

“Our fight against the illegal mining phenomenon, also known as galamsey, is a case in point. In the 2016 Manifesto of my party, the New Patriotic Party, we indicated strongly our commitment to reforestation, forest rehabilitation and forest protection activities, realizing that forest cover has been depleted significantly in the last two decades,” President Akufo-Addo said.

He continued, “We intend to undertake massive forest plantations, with both indigenous and exotic tree species, and also develop the bamboo and rattan industry, as they would serve as effective substitutes for furniture and other wood products.”

President Akufo-Addo urged farmers and local community not to allow illegal logging and mining to continue, and charged Security agencies on the roads, ports and borders not look on unconcerned and allow illegal timber products just to pass without confiscation or with corrupt purpose.