Tamale, Dec. 12, GNA - The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) through funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is funding 17 institutions and non-governmental organizations in the Northern Region to improve the vegetative cover in the region for sustainable development.

The EPA has awarded the sum of GHc214,000 to the 17 institutions which comprises 12 community organizations, five NGOs to implement seventeen different projects across the region all geared towards improving the depleted vegetation.

The projects are part of a CIDA fund of 7.2 million dollars for the Ghana Environment Management (GEM) project which was started in 2008 and is due to end in 2012 with a possible extension.

Mr. Abu Iddrisu, Northern Regional Director of the EPA disclosed these in Tamale