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The President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has emphasised the critical role law enforcement plays in Ghana’s fight against deforestation, forest degradation and national efforts at tackling Climate Change.

To this end, the President has given full backing to any legitimate action that prevents activities that degrade the environment. 

“I want to reiterate that my government is in full support of every action that prevents forest degradation and deforestation, and also increases our forest cover”, the President noted. 

President Akufo-Addo made this known yesterday when he delivered the keynote address at the second National REDD+ Forum, on the theme ‘Strengthening Law Enforcement for Effective REDD+ Implementation’.

He recalled that as a result of the incessant depletion of the country’s forest cover, the New Patriotic Party, in the 2016 Manifesto, indicated strongly the commitment to reforestation, forest rehabilitation and forest protection activities when it comes into power.

In furtherance of that agenda, he said government intends 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. 
He noted that considering the key role that forests play in the livelihoods of local communities, ecotourism would be promoted to support rural livelihoods.

“If all these are to be possible, we would need to strengthen and enforce the laws that govern the management of our natural resources”, he emphasised. 

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

“Most importantly, the Forestry Commission should strengthen its law enforcement measures to curb illegal logging, mining and unsustainable harvesting of forest products. To our students gathered here, I urge you to inculcate the habit of tree planting and conservation. As you do this, you begin to build a generation that is more sensitive to issues of environmental conservation,” he added. 

The President noted further that Climate Change continues to be the biggest threat to the achievement of the SDGs, and is fast becoming a developmental issue of grave concern to most leaders across the world, as it impacts on the fundamentals required for our survival on earth – rise in sea levels, severe and extreme weather conditions, such as droughts, floods and erratic rainfall patterns. 

It is for this reason, he said, 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. 

He added that Ghana, as a signatory to the UNFCCC, by virtue of her ratification of the Rio Convention, has prepared its own Nationally Determined Contributions, but noted that “their successful implementation requires the concerted efforts of each and every one of us”. 

He noted that Agenda 2030, the target date for the completion of the SDGs, presents the nation with the great opportunity to fight inequality on all fronts, wipe out extreme poverty, tackle the issues of climate change, and reverse the degradation and unsustainable use of our environmental resources. 

“This agenda is an investment in our future – the future of our youth and that of our children. We are obliged to leave them with an enduring legacy of a richer, more stable, more secure and more peaceful world”.

According to him, one of the sectors that feature prominently in Ghana’s contributions is Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land-Use activities (AFOLU). 

“Under this, the forestry sub-sector plays a key role in Climate Change discussions, since it is both an emitter and a sinker of greenhouse gases. According to the fifth Assessment Report of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR5), emissions of greenhouse gases due to deforestation and forest degradation account for 17% of global greenhouse gas emissions”, he added. 

President Akufo-Addo urged the Chief Justice and members of the judiciary to ensure that the fines and punishments that are pronounced on perpetrators of illegal forest activities are deterrent enough, and quickly delivered and effected.