The Ghana Forest Investment Programme, which is being implemented by the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (MLNR), has in the last ten years received over $ 75 million from the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) to support forest development and plantations in the country.

The aim is to make Ghana greener, more resilient, and accelerate its low-carbon development plan.

The CIF is a donor-supported agent of global climate action, helping finance transformations in clean technology, energy access, climate resilience and sustainable forests across 72 developing and middle-income countries.

A team from the CIF led by Ms Mafalda Duarte, Head of the Fund, together with officials of the MLNR is currently on a tour to interact with some of the implementing agencies across the country to document and showcase the progress Ghana and Ghanaians have made toward a low-carbon future.

Mr Musah Abu-Juan, Technical Director at the MLNR told newsmen during a visit to the National Tree Seed Centre at the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG), that the programme was to help increase the country’s tree cover.

He said the Ministry was under the programme, working with the Forestry Commission, COCOBOD and other stakeholders to plant trees and develop climate-smart projects to help improve forest resilient in the country.

Mr Abu-Juan said over six million tree seedlings had been given out for plantation in the last two years.

Dr Ernest Foli, Head, Forest and Climate Change Division of FORIG, said the Institute had been tasked to produce high-quality seeds to support the project.

The target, he said was to add up about 15,000 seed orchards to ensure easy access by plantation developers and other stakeholders for plantation.

Dr Foli said some of the challenges facing forest development was the expansion of agricultural activities, timber extraction and illegal mining which were fast degrading the country’s forest cover.

He said FORIG had the capacity to expand and provide quality tree seeds to support forest plantation and development in the country.