In-country updates

Ghana’s forestry sector has contributed significantly to socio-economic development over the past thirty years by employing thousands of people and generating about six per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, forest governance – characterised by stakeholder participation, accountability and legality – remains weak and is consequently an obstacle to sustainable forest management efforts.

Ghana is one of three African countries scheduled to benefit from a new investment scheme, known as Forest Investment Programme (FIP) that will finance efforts at addressing climate change induced problems in the forestry sector. To shape Ghana’s FIP Investment Plan, a Joint Mission by the Government of Ghana and Development Partners, was held in the first week of June in Accra, bringing together key stakeholders including representatives of government ministries, academia and research institutions, private sector institutions, civil society and local communities to dialogue and analyse relevant development plans, policies and strategies.

Since its creation in 2009, the Growing Forest Partnerships (GFP) initiative has contributed to the management of the forestry sector in Ghana by building, strengthening and widening stakeholder partnerships through a “bottom-up” process. It has also helped to strengthen political commitment and action for sustainable forest management.