The Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Dr Kwaku Afriyie has launched a ‘Nature-based Climate Adaptation in the Guinean Forests of West Africa’ project on Thursday, December 7.
From the project’s brief, the Nature-based Climate Adaptation in the Guinean forests of West Africa project seeks to facilitate the adoption of gender-responsive and inclusive nature-based solutions for Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) in the Guinean forests of West Africa.
This project, according to Dr Afriyie, aligns to the ministry’s objective of reducing biodiversity loss and enhancing the capacity of stakeholders, including women to adapt to climate change impacts and to promote a green economy in Ghana.
In a speech read on his behalf during the event, the Minister recounted that the impact of climate change on biodiversity and livelihoods is known to us. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns continue to put pressure on diverse species that are already threatened by human activities, he added.
He indicated that experts project that temperatures could increase more than 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2030 if current rates of warming continue.
“These increases will also continue to increase the intensity and frequency of fires, storms, floods and drought as currently being experienced. These extreme events destroy our forests and surrounding habitats in many ‘global biodiversity hotspots’ including those in the Guinean forests of West Africa.
“Research has shown that women continue to bear the brunt of the climate crisis, while their knowledge and skills which are crucial for the delivery of climate change adaptation efforts are not fully harnessed. This calls for concerted efforts to place women at the center of adaptation interventions. MESTI has been an active collaborator with other partners in rolling out diverse initiatives that seek to create economic opportunities for women and young people, while protecting the environment. We have been in partnership with the Canadian High Commission to Ghana and United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to establish a Centre of Excellence for Circular Economy in Ghana. This center aims to assist Ghana-based organizations and individuals, including women and youth, small scale entrepreneurs, to develop and deploy innovative circular economy technologies and business models. This center will work with partners across the country to deliver circular economy training, capacity-building and business development services to support entrepreneurship development. The Centre will also work with the financial sector to train local financial institutions on the evaluation of circular businesses and develop financial instruments that will enhance access to financing for women and youth entrepreneurs,” he said.
Besides, MESTI has initiated steps for a Gender Equality and Inclusivity Policy tailored to the needs of the sector under the Science Granting Councils Initiative for which the IDRC of Canada is a key funder, he added.
“Through the Science Granting Councils Initiatives (SGCI), MESTI has set up a Grant Secretariat as part of the processes to operationalize the Ghana National Research Fund and has been awarded research grants by the IDRC to promote research and development in various fields. We are convinced that the current project to be launched is quite significant as it aligns with on-going initiatives to place women at the heart of climate adaptation efforts. We can’t succeed in the fight against the extremes of climate change without the active participation of women who continue to suffer more. Through active collaborations and partnerships, we can succeed together. I therefore call on all stakeholder institutions working to promote climate action to identify ways through which we can all work together to deliver scalable and sustainable interventions for our women and youth.
“I pledge the support and collaboration of MESTI and its Agencies towards the effective implementation of the project and I look forward to the opportunity to have further discussions about how we can work together to deliver this project.”
For her part, the Country Director, World University of Canada (WUSC Ghana), Emelia Ayipio Asamoah said the impact of climate change on all aspects of lives including biodiversity and livelihoods is real and is now felt in families, communities, workplaces and on a daily basis.
The weather, she said, continues to get warmer, rainfall patterns are no longer consistent and predictable, fires, storms, floods and droughts are now more rampant than over 3 decades ago.
These extreme events continue to destroy our forests and habitats including those in the ‘global biodiversity hotspots’ in the Guinean forests of West Africa, she said.
The impact of these extremes on women and men vary, due in part to the differences in role, access to and control of many resources including forests, land, and agricultural systems. Many studies continue to show that deforestation for example has increased the burden of women and decreased their income potential. Regrettably, women continue to bear the brunt of the climate crisis, while little is done to enhance their adaptive capacity and leveraging on their indigenous knowledge and skills; which are crucial in addressing the climate crisis in many communities including communities within the Wassa Amenfi and Lake Bosomtwe landscapes in Ghana, she noted.
“WUSC and CECI together with our partner institutions; the Centre for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Abantu for development and University of Guelph recognizing the enormity of the challenges the climate crisis continues to pose to biodiversity and livelihoods in the ‘global hotspots’ of the Guinean Forests of West Africa, designed an intervention that seeks to contribute to addressing the climate change challenges in 6 landscapes in Ghana, Guinean and Cote D’ivoire.
“This intervention deplores a system and gender-lens’ approach in facilitating diverse stakeholders in resolving these climate change challenges. Through this intervention, the
“NBS Project would plan, pilot and scale nature-based solutions that contribute to enhancing biodiversity and gender equality in Ghana, Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire. With the ultimate goal of facilitating enhanced adoption of gender-responsive and inclusive nature-based solutions for Climate Change Adaptation (CCA). This project officially commenced in April 2023, and would run until March, 2026,” she said.
She continued “the NbS project is anchored on effective partnerships and active stakeholder engagements. This is the reason why we will continue to engage diverse stakeholders including those represented here today from public institutions, nongovernmental organizations working to promote gender equality, climate and environmental action, community-based platforms including the Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs) within the Lake Bosomtwe and Wassa Amenfi Landscapes in Ghana, traditional councils within the landscapes, financial institutions with strong commitment to climate finance and women-led and women-owned businesses, research institutions among others. Together, we will facilitate enhanced women’s leadership in adaptation planning processes, gender-responsive restoration of degraded forests and key habitats and gender-responsive investments in nature-based solutions with income potential for women and biodiversity benefits.
“Furthermore, we will achieve restoration and reforestation of degraded forests, both on and off farm, that are critical to supporting women and their communities to adapt to climate change challenges and also central to protecting and restoring biodiversity in this critical global hotspot. The WUSC – CECI consortium appreciate greatly the continuous support the people of Canada through Global Affairs Canada continue to give to the two institutions and our partners. This project is made possible with the generous financial support from the people of Canada. I say thank you and I assure you that together with our partners and stakeholders, we are committed to facilitating the delivery of this project for the benefit of women and communities. With this, we will have a world that’s more inclusive, equitable and sustainable. Thank you to our team for working hard to put this launch together.”