The Climate Change Directorate (CCD) of the Forestry Commission (FC) has organised a National Stakeholder Engagement and Validation Workshop for the draft Benefit Sharing Plan (BSP) for The REDD+ Environmental Excellence Standard (TREES) program area. The two-day event highlighted actions contributing to emission reductions and benefit allocations achieved through the program’s progress.
Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation, plus the role of sustainable forest management, conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks through mitigation and adaptation efforts (REDD+), is a UN-backed framework aimed at combating climate change. This allows forest countries to earn payments for protection efforts. Within this framework, the Architecture for REDD+ Transactions (ART) incentivises governments to reduce emissions through its market-based framework, TREES. It sets requirements for accounting, monitoring, reporting, verification, risk mitigation, and transparency. The CCD under FC, also serves as the National REDD+ Secretariat, overseeing programs and collaborating with likeminded organisations.
The first day was an engagement of the National Stakeholders on proposed beneficiaries and benefit allocation. Stakeholders who attended the event comprised of some government and private institutions, namely; Ghana Cocoa Board, Energy Commission, Office of the Administrator of Stool Lands, Touton Ghana, Mondelez International Ghana and the Ministries of Finance, Food and Agriculture, Lands and Natural Resources and also Local Government and Rural Development. Also present were some NGOs like Tropenbos Ghana, Solidaridad West Africa and Eco Care Ghana, as well as the Executive Management Team (EMT) and some staff of the Forestry Commission.
On the second day, traditional authorities, local community representatives from the six Ghana Cocoa Forest REDD+ Program (GCFRP) Hotspot Intervention Areas (HIAs), as well as representatives within the TREES program area, joined the forum for a validation workshop. This was to agree on the assigned beneficiaries and their allocated benefits. The program area encompasses 10 out of the 16 regions of the country, thus Greater Accra, Ashanti, Eastern, Western, Western North, Central, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo Regions.
Giving the welcome address, Miss Roselyn Fosuah Adjei, Director, CCD, thanked everyone for their presence. She gave a brief overview of the proposed agenda and declared how important, yet exciting it was to work to boost livelihoods in local communities and actions to address issues of deforestation and forest degradation. She also admonished everyone to speak freely and fully partake in the exercise.
Mr. Yaw Atuahene Nyako, Director, Resource Management and Support Centre Of FC, delivered the opening remarks on behalf of the Acting Chief Executive (AG. C.E.) of FC, Dr. Hugh Brown. He welcomed everyone present and admonished the gathering to treat the event with much importance and pay attention to every detail. He detailed that the occasion was relevant for two key things, “We are here to talk about money and the protection of our forests”.
Mr. Thomas Gyambrah, Manager for Measurement, Reporting, Verification, and Programs at CCD, presented an overview of ART/TREES. He began by highlighting Ghana’s participation in the REDD+ mechanism since 2008, through the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF). He noted that Ghana signed an Emission Reductions Purchase Agreement (ERPA) with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development under the World Bank’s Carbon Fund, securing $21.76 million in payments for verified emission reductions and removal. This was for two monitoring periods, the second half of 2019, 2020 and 2021. These reductions were estimated using the FCPF’s Methodological Framework, and Ghana has since developed and implemented a Benefit Sharing Plan (BSP) under the FCPF.
Mr. Gyambrah also talked about Ghana’s expansion into the Voluntary Carbon Market (VCM) through the LEAF Coalition. Similarly, the country signed an ERPA with the LEAF Coalition for vintages between 2017–2019, valued at up to $50 million at $10 per ton, facilitated by Emergent Forest Finance Accelerator Inc. He explained that the LEAF Coalition only accepts high-integrity carbon credits meeting the ART-TREES Standard. Ghana set a reference level of 9.6 million tons of carbon dioxide for 2012–2016 and achieved 11.9 million tons in emission reductions between 2017 and 2021, necessitating the development of a BSP, as required by the ART-TREES Standard.
Dr. Hugh Brown in his closing remarks, thanked all participants for availing themselves with patience for this arduous, yet pertinent task, especially the external stakeholders. He emphasised on the importance of the discussions saying, “This is going to ensure that the good work that we have started stays longer and benefits generations to come”.
A lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and consultant for the agenda, Dr. Joana Ameyaw, led the two-day engagement on the TREES BSP. She began with presentations on ART TREES, followed by discussions involving all parties. Dr. Ameyaw emphasised that the BSP’s goal is to ensure equitable distribution of carbon credits while maintaining environmental and social integrity, promoting sustainable development, and encouraging community engagement.
Dr. Ameyaw further clarified that the BSP was developed through desk reviews and consultations with GCFRP Stakeholders at the National and Landscape, Emergent, and the ART Secretariat. Additionally, community stakeholder engagements were conducted in nine areas, including Enchi, Ahafo-Ano, Asunafo-Asutifi, Sefwi Wiawso, Juaboso-Bia, Atewa East Akim, Bono, Bono East, and Volta Regions.
The gathering after much deliberation, came to a consensus on the proposed BSP. The closing remarks was delivered by the Director of RMSC on behalf of the AG. C.E., thanking all present for their ardent participation which was followed by a photo session, bringing the two-day engagement to a close.
