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Pitch

This proposal seeks to encourage developing economies such as Ghana use value addition to tree prducts as a catalyst for wealth creation.


Description

Summary

In Ghana there is currently a huge link between the distraction of natural resources such as forests and economic activities of individuals and business interests either undertaken legally or illegally. For rural people however, the exploitation of resources is usually a question of survival with little attention to the implications on the environment.

To address this challenge, this project proposes value addition to tree products as a catalyst for Pro-Poor wealth creation and providing more sustainable alternatives to the current distraction posed to the environment by various forms of 'economic activities' .

This project is feasible to the extent that with very minimal investment on the part of the government of Ghana, the current and future cost associated with the current distraction of forest resources would be reduced significantly. This project also proposes the use of the Public Private Partnership model currently being pursued by the government of Ghana to provide the required initial infrastructure and capital injection for centers to add value to tree products. Local authorities are envisaged to play a very significant role in the proposed project in the area of facilitating access to land, negotiating community forest management initiatives and providing some financing through internally generated funds of various District Assemblies.

This tree product value addition model would provide alternative economic and/or livelihood options for communities and young people in particular currently involved in environmentally distractive activities such as illegal small scale mining 'galamsey' , Logging and charcoal burning, among others.

The project also incorporates the Community Forest Resource management approach adopted by the Government of Ghana through a number of interventions such as the Northern Savannah Bio-Diversity Conservation Project and the interventions currently led by the Environmental Protection Agency. If rural people are provided with incentives for the protection of tree resources through value addition to tree products , then forest protection interventions will be more successful.

Linked to the proposed intervention is the market linkages for tree products; there is a growing market around the world for tree products including Moringa, Baobab , Tamarind, among others . The Ghana Investment Promotion Center has been very instrumental over the past decade in promoting so called non-traditional export products are very well placed to lead the drive for marketing underutilized tree products around the world. There is also a growing middle class in Ghana and across the African continent who offer a huge prospect for demanding tree products in view of their natural and health benefits.


Which proposals are included in your plan and how do they fit together?

This proposal fits in very well with a number of proposals that use value addition to products as a tool for ensuring a better future for our climate and especially solving some of the challenges in the context of the developing world including :

1.A shadow Price on recycling can grow city economy and improve quality of life : this is an innovative and feasible model for value addition to waste products that have been a challenge for many developing countries . It addresses the wider implications of the lack of proper waste management systems such as public health concerns and a general low quality of life through value addition

2. Pyrolysis of Waste a renewal energy technology : In similar vein this approach uses waste for to enhance economic activity through renewable energy generation. Again focus is shifted from the current challenge of waste disposal and management to more productive use for economic developing which ultimately can contribute to a cleaner safer planet for generations.

3. Climate Action Plan in Nyamaranbee , Re in Kenya and Kiisi County :  This initiative also hilights the growing need for community involvement in climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Climate interventions should be viewed holistically taking cognizance of the social, political and economic contexts of these interventions if they are to succeed and achieve the desired impact.

There is clearly from the forgoing a case to be made for value addition to various products as a key strategy for climate adaptation and resilience initiatives. Above all due consideration should be taken to identify and involve key stakeholders from the very outset of the project.


Explanation of the emissions scenario calculated in the Impact tab


What are the plan’s key benefits?


What are the plan’s costs?


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Timeline


Related plans


References