Accra, July 21, GNA- The Ministry of Lands and Forestry on Friday finalised an agreement with the African Development Bank (ADB) for a loan of 9.2 million US dollars for the implementation of a Community Forestry Management Project (CFMP). The project, which has four sub-components including, Plantation Development, Alternative livelihood Support Scheme, Capacity Building and Institutional Strengthening and Project Management would be supported with a Ghana government component of 2.14 million dollars. Professor Dominic Kweku Fobih, Minister for Lands and Forestry said this on Monday during the launch of the CFMP and the inauguration of an 18-member steering committee to oversee the project. He said the project would be in two phases, the first, he said would cover five regions namely Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern and Western with the view that lessons learnt from the first phase would be used for the implementation of the second that would cover the rest of the country.

Prof. Fobih urged the pilot communities to ensure success of the project saying, it has been designed in a participatory manner in which communities, traditional authorities, government agencies and non-governmental bodies have been consulted. He said due to the increase in demand from the public to be part of the on-going plantation programme, an amount of 12 billion cedis has been budgeted for the on-going 2003 planting programme. An amount of 10 billion cedis from the Forest Plantation Development Fund has also been earmarked this year in the form of loans assistance to support private sector and local community programme for reforestation of degraded off-reserve forest areas, Prof. Fobih said. He said government has also released a total of 41 billion cedis for plantation activities with the objective of cultivating a total area of 100,000 hectares over five years and generate jobs for 460,000 people by the end of the period.

Mr John Mensah-Quainoo, Chief Procurement Specialist, ADB said the bank acknowledged the fact that Ghana's forestry resources played a significant role in the livelihood strategies of the rural population hence its decision to help. He said it was estimated that Ghana's forestry resources were being depleted at the rate of 20,000 hectares per year due mainly to the mounting demands for food, energy requirement and other agricultural products brought about by the increasing population. Mr Mensah Quainoo said if the degraded areas were left unattended, they would turn into wastelands with serious consequences on the eco-system and on the economy as a whole. Madam Theresa Tagoe, Deputy Minister of Lands and Forestry, who is also chairperson of the committee, pledged to work diligently with the other members towards the success of the project.