Ghana & Ecuador To Cooperate On Forestry Development

The Governments of Ghana and Ecuador signed an Aide Memoire (agreement) expressing interest to cooperate on environmental protection, with focus on forestry development.

The signing took place in Quito, the capital of Ecuador, during a South-South Knowledge Exchange which was facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The cooperation between the two countries will be centred on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+).

REDD+ is a global framework through which developing countries are rewarded financially for any carbon emissions reductions achieved that is associated with a decrease in the conversion of forests to alternate land uses.

REDD+ therefore links the protection of forests to the fight against climate change. Ghana and Ecuador are actively pursuing the REDD+ agenda.

Ghana, specifically, has put in place a national strategy and institutional infrastructure to implement REDD+, and has already started accessing global funds such as the Carbon Fund to finance its various Emission Reduction Programmes.

Among the key agreed activities, both countries will facilitate learning and exchange of best practices on agroforestry, and jointly explore public-private partnerships, setting up agreements with international corporations involved in commodities supply chain (cocoa, palm oil, coffee).