MFWA Trains Journalists on Ghana’s Forest Management, Carbon Market, and Revenue Mobilization
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) has organized a specialized training session aimed at enhancing journalists’ understanding of Ghana’s forest management, carbon markets, and revenue mobilization initiatives. The workshop sought to provide participants with accurate knowledge on these vital topics, equipping them to deliver informed and responsible reporting.
The training covered global deforestation trends, Ghana’s carbon market framework, and efforts to mobilize revenue for sustainable development. Participants learned about Ghana’s operationalization of its carbon market, with Mr. Daniel Akwetey Lamptey, Principal Program Officer at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), offering key insights. Mr. Lamptey highlighted that the carbon market aligns with Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), which outline 47 climate adaptation and mitigation actions. He explained that Article 6 of the Paris Agreement is being leveraged as a tool to meet the country’s NDC targets, particularly through conditional programs that require international public sector investments.
The workshop also focused on Ghana’s unique definition of a forest, which differs from global standards. In Ghana, a forest is defined as an area with at least 15% canopy cover and trees that are 2 meters tall or more. Mr. Daryl Bosu, Deputy Executive Director of A Rocha Ghana, presented alarming figures on deforestation. He revealed that Ghana’s natural forest cover, which stood at 6.97 million hectares in 2010, had shrunk by approximately 110,000 hectares by 2023—an area equivalent to 200,000 football fields.
To combat this, Ghana has implemented advanced monitoring technologies, including satellite imagery, Collect Earth, and national forest inventory plots, to track changes in forest cover and emissions. These tools are helping to monitor forest carbon dynamics and guide conservation efforts.
The training also highlighted the revenue mobilization strategies within Ghana’s carbon market, which focus on emission reduction as a co-benefit of green investments. These initiatives aim to foster sustainable development while ensuring environmental integrity. A key example is the World Bank’s PROGREEN initiative, which, in partnership with Ghana, seeks to restore 210,000 hectares of cocoa forest landscapes within Community Resource Management Areas (CREMAs). More than 2,800 farmers have already adopted sustainable farming practices as part of the project.
The workshop concluded with calls for increased funding to support the capacity of forestry agencies, improve monitoring and enforcement, and incentivize sustainable practices. These actions are seen as crucial for advancing forest conservation efforts and establishing Ghana as a leader in global climate action.
The MFWA training underscored the importance of accurate and comprehensive media coverage in promoting sustainable forest management and supporting Ghana’s environmental and economic objectives.
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