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Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana raises alarm over GMO

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The Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana has called on the Government of Ghana to halt all activities geared towards introducing Genetically Modified (GM) products onto the Ghanaian market.

According to them, government through multinational seeds companies and agents in Ghana has approved the commercialization of 14 novel GM products comprising eight maize and six soya beans products.

“The consequences of this approval are dire and mark the beginning of the loss of Ghana’s control of our own indigenous agricultural system, leaving it in the hands and control of powerful multinationals, who can decide and dictate the pace of our food system,” they added.
The penchant taste for laboratory seeds, they say, comes with serious negative implications on health, the economy and the environment.

See Full Statement HERE

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Ghana Gets Wildlife Resources Management Act

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The President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has signed into law an Act of Parliament which seeks to revise and consolidate all laws relating to wildlife and protected areas, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources has announced.
The Wildlife Resources Management Act, 2024 (Act 1115), sponsored by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, was passed by Parliament on 28th July, 2023, and assented to by the President on 1st March, 2024.
The Wildlife Resources Management Bill, which had been pending for over fifteen (15) years, was previously laid before the fifth, sixth and seventh Parliaments, until it was eventually passed by the Eighth Parliament, on 28th July, 2023.
Wildlife and protected areas were previously regulated by the Wild Animals Preservation Act, 1961 (Act 43), the Wildlife Conservation Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 685) and the Wildlife Reserves Regulations, 1971 (L.I. 710). These legislation, enacted over fifty (50) years ago, were not in tune with current international best practices for wildlife protection and management, and did not provide a proper legal framework for the implementation of the Forest and Wildlife Policy, 2012, the Forestry Development Master Plan (2016-2036) and other national and international frameworks that guide sustainable resource management, all of which were adopted years after these laws were passed.

See full statement HERE

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Ghana Environment Manifesto 2024 Launched

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“To ensure a prosperous and healthy future for all Ghanaians, leadership needs to prioritize environmental well-being in policy and development planning urgently. This should then inform an investment drive with a focus on environmental concerns, supported by altruistic incentives and legislative frameworks that hold polluters accountable. Finally, this must be done within an environment of a well-informed and empowered community, strong and independent institutions devoid of political elite capture and strong administrative accountability.”

Above is a succinct statement curled out from the Ghana Environment Manifesto which was launched on March 26, 2024, at the Coconut Grove Hotel in Accra.

The manifesto covers areas such as the Land Sector, Forestry Sector, Forest, Biodiversity and Agriculture Sector, Oil, Gas and Energy Sector, Environment and Climate Change Sector, Mining Sector, Wash Sector, Marine Environment and Fisheries Sector.

The document was developed through broad engagements of Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) within the natural resources, oil and gas, energy, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), and climate change sectors, sharing inputs from their respective constituents across the country.

The Launch

Delivering a welcome address, National Director for A Rocha Ghana, Dr. Seth Appiah-Kubi called on political parties to refer to the Green Manifesto while prioritising environmental and green pathways as part of their potential future government’s development agenda.

“What I am driving at is the fact that considering our overreliance on our natural environment as a nation, it is high time we highlighted the importance of ecosystem services support to our national development and match it with the appropriate investments,” he said.

Further highlighting the need to secure our natural environment for generations to come, Ms. Eunice Aseidu, Programmes Coordinator at the Friedric-Ebert-Stiftung Economic Policy Competence Centre, said, the solutions to environmental degradation and prioritising green growth are not confined to the corridors of power but within dialogue amongst stakeholders and building synergy across divides to ensure sustainable environmental practices.

“Given the critical role the environment plays in our continuous survival, I urge the political parties to urgently centre environmental sustainability at the centre of their development agenda and we look forward to yet another political season with the environment at the centre of campaigns and subsequent conscious effort toward its implementation”, she added.

In his Key Note Address dubbed Prioritizing Environmental Sustainability and Wellbeing in Ghana’s Development Agenda, Dr. Kodjo Esseim Mensah-Abrampa, Director General for the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) called for a more inclusive approach to combating environmental issues. According to him, the efficient coordination and connection of all key stakeholders including government, traditional leaders, CSOs, and the media, will produce a positive impact.

Dr. Mensah-Abrampa further urged CSOs to help improve capacity, knowledge and skills to enhance indigenous peoples’ appreciation of environmental protection. According to him, CSOs seem to have left a huge gap between traditional conservation norms such as taboos and contemporary environmental protection modalities, which according to him, should not be the case.

Participation

Political Parties present at the launch were, the National Democratic Congress (NDC); the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the Movement for Change (M4C). Also present were key state institutions like, the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology & Innovation (MESTI); Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture Development (MoFAD); Water Resource Commission (WRC); Ministry of Sanitation and Water Resources (WSWR) and Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ).

The event further saw representatives from Academia, Civil Society and the Media.

The launch was made possible by the partnership of Kasa Initiative Ghana, Green Livelihood Alliance Ghana, A Rocha Ghana and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung.

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Ghana Environment Manifesto 2024

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In the wake of increasing vulnerabilities to the Climate Crisis is the necessitated need to protect the environment towards the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreements and the Global Biodiversity Framework. Nonetheless, environmental sustainability in Ghana is under severe threat due to Land degradation and deforestation, Water scarcity and pollution, Climate change impacts, Waste management crisis, poor mineral governance, and Limited renewable energy.

Owing to this, Ghana’s development, economic growth, and public health is threatened. Addressing them requires a paradigm shift towards green development, focusing on economic prosperity while protecting the environment and ensuring social equity.  This necessitates sustainable land management, integrated water resource management, climate change adaptation and mitigation and Circular economy, sustainable waste management, Sustainable Forest Management and Biodiversity Conservation, and Accelerating renewable energy transition.

The Ghana Environment Manifesto captures the felt needs and aspirations of Ghanaians across the 16 regions over the increasing impunity and detrimental activities of government, corporations and individuals.

The aspirations highlighting issues, commitments and need actions within the Land, Oil, Gas and energy; WASH; Forestry, Biodiversity and Agriculture; Environment and Climate Change, Marine Environment and Fisheries and finally the mining sector are detailed in the attached Environment Manifesto for the election year 2024.

 

Ghana Environment Manifesto 2024

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ARG kick-starts project to protect threatened tree species in Atewa Forest

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A Rocha Ghana, in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR) Plant Genetic Resources Research Institute (PGRRI) with funding support from the Fondation Franklinia has launched a project to strengthen the conservation of threatened tree species in Ghana.

The project dubbed “The strengthening knowledge and action on Atewa forest’s significance for protecting globally threatened tree species, critical ecosystems, and ecosystem service provision project” to be implemented in and around the Atewa Range Forest reserve seeks to increase knowledge on 19 targeted threatened and near-endemic tree species.

Threatened trees

These threatened target trees are being lost due to illegal activities reported to be present within the Atewa Forest. These species include Abaku/Baku (Tieghemella heckelii), Duatadwekese (Aubregrina taiensis) and Dodo-wa (Cola boxiana).

 

The launch

The official launch of the project which took place on Thursday, August 17, 2023 at the Abuakwa South District Assembly Hall, saw  stakeholders from the MMDAs (Abuakwa South, Atiwa West and Fanteakwa South), Academia (University of Environment and Sustainable Development, University College of Agriculture and Environmental Studies), Regulatory Agencies (Forestry Services Division, Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana), Traditional Authorities from the project communities (Obuoho, Potroase, Owuretwum, Sagyimase, Apampatia and Dompem) and the PGRRI gracing the occasion.

In a welcome address, Director for CSIR-PGRRI, Dr. Daniel Ashie Kotey , highlighted how some near endemic species such as Tieghemella heckelii locally known as Abaku/Baku are gradually being lost due to illegal activities. He stressed on the importance of the project and commended the collaboration between A Rocha Ghana and the PGRRI.

Dr. Kortey entreated participants to contribute and ask for clarification on issues that they did not understand for the success of the implementation.  

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Isaac Ayamga, a representative from the Abuakwa South Municipal Assembly acknowledged the municipality is faced with several challenges including illegal mining, logging and bad farming practices which has led to a lot of species facing extinction. He thus commended the initiative and also the partnership with the PGRRI and the Forestry Commission.
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CSOs Demand Revocation of Retrogressive Mining in Forest Reserves L.I 2462

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On August 1 and 2, 2023, a coalition of environmental NGOs hit the streets, targeting the Parliament of Ghana and the Minerals Resources Commission, to demand the repeal of the newly passed Legislative Instrument (LI) 2462, which puts no restriction on mining in all of Ghana’s forest reserves. The action also raised concerns about the way mining-related permits are leading to the destruction of Ghana’s forest reserves and the pollution of water bodies.

The NGOs are A Rocha Ghana, Eco-Conscious Citizens, Youth Alliance Green Ghana, Ghana Youth Environment Movement, Ghana Environment Advocacy Group, Atronsu Farmers and Youth Anti Community/Small-scale Mining Group, Daby Foundation, SOY Africa, Youth Volunteers for the Environment, and AbibiNsroma Foundation.

Passing of the retrogressive L.I. 2462

In November 2022, a new legal instrument, L.I. 2462, ‘Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, was quietly passed. Civil society only became aware of this clandestine action by the EPA and government in March 2023.

At a press conference organised on June 9, the Deputy National Coordinator of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, read out a press statement on the way the L.I. was passed and its implications for the environment.

“In November 2022, a new legal instrument, L.I. 2462, ‘Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations’ was quietly passed. Civil society only became aware of this by the EPA and government in March 2023.

While the 2018 ‘Environmental Guidelines for Mining in Production Forest Reserves in Ghana’ that preceded the L.I. allowed a maximum of 2% of the production areas of
forest reserves to be mined, the new regulations have no such restriction. Consequently, after the L.I.2462 was passed, mining permits covering large portions of forest reserves, including Nkrabia, Boin Tano, Anhwiaso East, and Tano Anwi have been granted.

Pickets to continue

The NGOs demand that all forests reserves must be fully protected from all mining, both government-licenced and galamsey; otherwise, their integrity will be lost. Further actions are expected to continue at other government agencies in the coming weeks.

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Beating plastic pollution: making schools more recycling-friendly within Accra

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In Ghana, single-use plastics, such as plastic bags, and bottles, have become an enduring menace that affects the environment and biodiversity. Approximately 5% of plastic waste is collected for recycling each year, with the rest finding its way into landfills and the ocean.

To contribute to addressing this menace, A Rocha Ghana, in partnership with SESA Recycling, has collaborated to bring awareness and the practicality of recycling and upcycling to over 15 schools across the Greater Accra region. The project, which comes off initiative which forms part of A Rocha Ghana’s school’s environmental education programme, seeks to tackle the issues of single-use plastic and its effects on the environment under the thematic area of addressing pollution.

In support of the program, the schools were presented with segregation also given receptacle bins and jumbo sacks by the Coca-Cola bottling company in Ghana and individuals.

Understanding plastics

During the school engagements various resources, including presentations and using citizen science approaches such as ‘’the plastic detective’’ were deployed. This helped gauge student’s awareness of and knowledge of the kinds of plastics in the system and proper identification, proportion of single-use plastics, their contribution to plastic pollution and its negative impact on the environment.

The 4 R’s

The separation, crush and drop exercise, in which student’s 

separate plastic bottles and sachet water rubbers to be collected in the segregation receptacles was then used to educate the students on how to properly handle their plastics using the 4 R’s (Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and on how to 

properly use their receptacle.  These plastics would then be weighed and collected by SESA

The students and schools participated with great excitement and pledged to help make their school and Accra cleaner.

Alongside this ongoing programme, in order to beat plastic pollution, upcycling art sessions will be conducted with selected schools led by sustainability artist SAhadji, in collaboration with the Foundation for Contemporary Arts Ghana and Osei-Duro. Long-term goals include promoting mental shifts, advancing climate action against plastic pollution, and enhancing the local environment.