House of Chiefs advocates interventions against climate change

The Upper West Regional House of Chiefs has advocated the need for pragmatic interventions to fight the menace of climate change to save the environment and improve livelihoods of the people.

“Developing Smart Agricultural Programmes to tackle climate change will go a long way to improve agricultural productivity, thereby assuring food security, which is eminent for human survival”, it said.

Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, Paramount Chief of the Tumu Traditional Area and President of the House, said this in a speech read on his behalf at the opening of a three-day inception workshop in Wa.

The workshop was organised by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) under the Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH) project.

The €19.5 million project was implemented by the GIZ/Competitive Cashew initiative (GIZ/ComCashew) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) through the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) with funding from the European Union (EU).

It was being piloted in the Nadowli/Kaleo and Wa West Districts, Jirapa, Lwara and Sissala East Municipalities in the Upper West Region and the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District in the Savanna Region to address the impact of climate change on rural livelihoods.

Kuoro Kanton VI urged the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to enact and enforce by-laws against negative activities such as illicit felling of tress including; shea and rosewood trees and bush burning, which were contributing to climate change and its attendant consequences.

He indicated that the REACH project was timely as it would help in the fight against climate change and improve the economy and livelihoods of the people.

Kuoro Kanton VI also appealed to the GIZ and EU to help develop the shea sector through creating an enabling environment for shea plantation, processing and marketing, as it was the major economic activity for women in the northern part of the country.

Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, in a speech read on his behalf said government was implementing Planting for Export and Rural Development programme as part of efforts to solve the issue of climate change.

He said government distributed 1.6 million improved cashew seedlings to farmers in 96 districts in 13 regions including; the Upper West Region under the programme.

“I believe the cooperation among public, private and development partners, we are on the right path to strengthening the Ghanaian cashew sector and making it competitive”, Dr Bin Salih observed.