The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has launched a $ 1 million dollar ‘One Tree Planted’ programme to plant five million trees by 2024 to restore degraded areas in the Black Volta landscape.
The programme was launched under the UNDP Global Environment Facility Small Grant Programme (GEF/SGP) at Maluwe in the Bole-Bamboi District of the Savannah region of Ghana.
The ‘One Tree Planted’, according to the UNDP Resident Representative, Dr Angela Lusigi, would enhance capacity and supply various seedlings including Cassia, Mahogany, Cashew, and Mango to selected communities in the Black Volta landscape for planting. The aim is to fight environmental degradation and promote sustainable livelihood enterprises in the landscape.
“This programme is about not leaving anyone behind. We are all expected to be involved in tree planting on farms, in open spaces, around towns, school compounds and in forest areas. Plant at least one tree and maintain it for people and for the planet,” Dr Lusigi said.
Dr Lusigi stated that the programme was aimed at contributing to the Government of Ghana’s Green Ghana agenda by supporting the communities to invest in sustainable land management and the conservation of the Black Volta Basin ecosystem.
She stated that it would also focus on providing alternative livelihood support systems to enhance the wellbeing of the people, while sustaining the environment.
The National Coordinator of the UNDPGEF Small Grant Programme in Ghana, Dr George Ortsin said that the UNDPGEF Small Grants Programme would devote $1milion direct funding support to the ‘One Tree Planted’ programme while mobilising additional support from other development partners.
“I am glad to say that the Terra Fund for financing Africa’s Top 100 Tree Restoration Projects and Enterprises has committed US$150,000 over the next three-years to support the programme. We would want to appeal to other donors to join the implementation of the programme,” Dr Orstin stated.
He indicated that, the UNDPGEF Small Grant Programme was already supporting five communities in the Bole-Bamboi District with agroforestry and the ‘One Tree Planted’ Programme was to complement the existing agroforestry initiative.
The Programme Lead in Maluwe, Hannah Boaduwaa said “Currently, we have almost 2000 farmers in five communities in the landscape, who are restoring the degraded landscape under the UNDPGEF Small Grant Programme. The farmers have integrated food crops into their woodblocks, and this is our contribution to climate change mitigation and adaptation because we are reducing poverty whiles protecting the environment.”
She said the goal of the ‘One Tree Planted’ programme was to restore about 170 hectares of degraded areas in the Black Volta landscape to contribute to Ghana’s climate action agenda.
The Chief of Maluwe (Maluwewura), Sulemana Bramani, expressed appreciation to UNDP and pledged the commitment of the communities in the area to the success of the programme.