Asempaneye, (Ash), Dec 21, GNA - The government has handed over the Community Forestry Management Project (CFMP) to the participating beneficiary communities with a pledge to commit more financial resources through annual budgetary allocations to sustain the project. The CFMP, a 10 million-dollar integrated forest management initiative, was started in 2004 with funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

It aimed at rehabilitating about 15,000 hectares of degraded on-and-off forest reserves while improving production of agricultural and timber wood as well as non wood products.

Additionally, it provided alternative livelihood projects for members of the beneficiary communities.

About 60 communities along the Afram head waters and Asubima Forest Reserve at Offinso, Yaya Forest Reserve in Sunyani, Esoboni in Akim Oda, and Worobong in Begoro, benefited from the project. Individual farmers who participated in the project were supposed to receive 40 per cent of the hectares replanted with the Forestry Services Division (FSD) taking 40 per cent. The stool land where the reserve is located and the community pick 15 per cent and Five per cent respectively.

Mr Henry Kamel-Ford, the Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, said the success story of the CFMP made it imperative for the government to ensure its sustainability. He was speaking at the official handing-over of the project to the beneficiary communities at a ceremony at Asempaneye in the Offinso Sout= h Municipality on Monday.

Mr Kamel-Ford said the forests play important role in the country= 's socio-economic, environmental and agricultural activities and there was therefore the need to support projects aimed at protecting them. He commended the chiefs and people of the beneficiary communities for the keen interest and support and asked the FSD of the Forestry Commission to speed up the signing of the Benefit Sharing Agreement.

Dr Victor Agyeman, Director of Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), who is also the Project Manager, said 30,000 hectares of degraded forests were replanted and thus, exceeding the project target of 15,000 hectares.

He said about 4,000 people benefited from the sustainable livelihood component of the project in the areas of grass cutter rearing, sheep and goat rearing, bee-keeping and poultry.

About 175 kilometres of footpaths and feeder roads were constructed and rehabilitated in the beneficiary communities, while 25 storage facilities, 45 grinding mills and 45 maize shelling machines as well as 10,000 super grain bags have been procured for the beneficiary communities. Dr Agyeman said the project had now become a model for the African Development Bank, which is trying to replicate its success story in other African countries.

Nana Kofi Aboagye, III, Asempaneyehene, thanked the government and AfDB for the project which has helped to increase food production and thereby reduced poverty levels among the people. He appealed to the FSD to ensure that the sharing pact was signed without delay to end the anxiety of the farmers.