The World Bank and Solidaridad West Africa have signed a grant agreement for a 4 million US dollar (3.75 million euro) project to ensure social inclusion in the sharing of benefits generated by the Ghana Cocoa Forest Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) Programme (GCRP). By directly engaging 20,000 farmers from 100 communities, including women, youth, migrant farmers, and persons with disabilities, the project promises to significantly enhance their participation in climate action and provide equitable access to emissions reduction benefits.
The project is financed by the World Bank managed Enhancing Access to Benefits while Lowering Emissions (EnABLE) Trust Fund, which promotes social inclusion and gender equality in climate finance. Ghana is the first country to receive an EnABLE grant that supports civil society organizations (CSOs) in distributing benefits earned by communities for reducing emissions and generating high integrity carbon credits.
This grant signing is a major milestone for amplifying the voices of Ghana’s most vulnerable groups, particularly women, in the climate change discourse.
Robert R. Taliercio, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone
“This grant signing is a major milestone for amplifying the voices of Ghana’s most vulnerable groups, particularly women, in the climate change discourse,” said Robert R. Taliercio, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. “By partnering with organizations like Solidaridad West Africa that have deep roots in local [rural] communities, we can ensure equitable access to emissions reduction benefits in cocoa landscapes.”
The project will build capacity and increase the knowledge and skills of target groups to help them engage in the Emissions Reduction Programme (ERP). This includes developing communication toolkits tailored to demystify ERP processes and benefit sharing, as well as training programmes to foster a deeper understanding of climate action policies. Moreover, the inclusion of these groups in REDD+ processes will foster inclusive dialogue and policy formulation.
The Forestry Commission of Ghana, which is the lead implementer of the GCFRP in partnership with the Ghana Cocoa Board, is enthusiastic about the project that has the capacity to stimulate the large-scale participation of communities in sustainable practices, that will generate increased emission reductions and removals resulting in payments for community development.
“Within the Carbon Fund Portfolio and beyond, Ghana has become a reference point for the successful implementation of jurisdictional REDD+,” said John M. Allotey, Chief Executive of Ghana’s Forestry Commission.
“We therefore count on the expertise of Solidaridad West Africa and Tropenbos Ghana to implement the EnABLE project to enhance actions to reverse and halt deforestation and forest degradation for people, forests and climate benefits at the national and global level. We are also grateful to the donors of the EnABLE fund and the World Bank for making this possible.”
Other project activities include support for locally-led, climate-resilient livelihoods, particularly for women, through the provision of seed grants and technical support as well as support for the development of green infrastructure and the promotion of climate-smart agricultural practices. Legal literacy on land rights is another crucial aspect of the project, focusing on the new provisions in Ghana’s 2020 Land Act, essential for ensuring the participation of women in REDD+ programmes that require access to land.
Solidaridad is proud to be associated with the project to secure the inclusion of farmers and other community groups in decision-making and the protection of forests so they can share in the associated carbon benefits that accrue from their efforts.
Isaac Kwadwo Gyamfi, Regional Director for Solidaridad West Africa
“The future of Ghana’s forests is at a crossroads, and the EnABLE project is coming at a critical time when the country is entrenching its access to the carbon market. Solidaridad is proud to be associated with the project to secure the inclusion of farmers and other community groups in decision-making and the protection of forests so they can share in the associated carbon benefits that accrue from their efforts,” said Isaac Kwadwo Gyamfi, Regional Director for Solidaridad West Africa.
“It is our expectation that the project will ensure that no one is left behind and ultimately stimulate the scale-up of inclusivity in other programmes and platforms in the landscape.”
The project will be jointly implemented by Solidaridad West Africa and Tropenbos Ghana.
“Our approach highlights inclusiveness, gender equality, and social equity to ensure that all stakeholders can participate meaningfully and benefit equitably from initiatives aimed at mitigating climate change and promoting environmental sustainability,” said Mercy Owusu Ansah, Country Director of Tropenbos Ghana.
“As local [rural] communities, the private sector, government, and other stakeholders work together to reduce emissions by sustainably implementing low-carbon ideas and technology, they must receive fair and socially inclusive payments as incentives for this action.”
About the Enhancing Access to Benefits while Lowering Emissions (EnABLE) Trust Fund
EnABLE is a trust fund housed at the World Bank to promote and strengthen social inclusion in Results-Based climate finance (RCBF) programmes. It was set up in 2020 with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Its specific purpose is to support the inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, Local Communities, and other disadvantaged and marginalized groups, such as women, youth, and people with disabilities in emissions reduction programmes to maximize their carbon and non-carbon benefits.