On Thursday, 10th November 2022, day four of the ongoing COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor again, held a Cocoa and Forests Initiative (CFI) event, to bring together governments and the cocoa industry players, to discuss the implementation of the second phase of CFI.
CFI was adopted by the Governments of Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire in 2017, to halt deforestation and forest degradation in the cocoa value chain.
The first phase ended last year with great success in all areas of the initiative.
As we begin the implementation of the second phase, it is important that all stakeholders work together to build on the successes of the first phase to sustainably produce cocoa without destroying our forests.
In my remarks, I called on captains in the cocoa industry to put the farmer at the centre of all initiatives aimed at sustainable cocoa production. We cannot expect the cocoa farmer to change the ways of farming he has been used to for centuries without any real benefit to him from this billion-dollar industry.
If we are to achieve impact at scale, we must ensure that real benefits from the cocoa value chain, accrue to farmers who are at the core of these adaptation measures.
The Government of President Akufo-Addo is committed to working with all stakeholders to improve the livelihoods of Cocoa farmers while delivering sustainable cocoa practices.
Later in the day, I held a meeting with Global Partnership, an investment fund manager of the US Government dedicated to expanding opportunities for people living in poverty, led by its Special Representative and First Lady of Virginia, Dorothy McAuliffe.
Since its inception in 2008, the Partnerships and its affiliated funds have provided 3.7 billion dollars in the public and private sectors and impacted about 29.3 million lives across Latin America, the Caribbean, and sub-Saharan Africa.
The Partnership is seeking collaboration with Ghana to promote action on sustainable goal 13 on climate change.
Under the distinguished leadership of President Akufo-Addo, we are committed to delivering real climate action.
Source: Mybrytnewsroom.com/Kwabena Nyarko Abronoma
