Phase II of European Union (EU) Funded Regreening Africa Initiative to Combating Land Degradation and boost Climate Resilience launched at Kukpalgu Community in the Mion District

The European Union (EU) Ambassador to Ghana, Rune SKINNERBACH has pledged EU’s assistance to Northern Ghana’s development, particularly, in addressing environmental sustainability and climate change adaptation challenges.

According to the envoy, prioritizing such support by the EU, was linked to the long partnership and shared commitment that exist between the EU and the Government and People of Ghana, which will open new opportunities for sustainable and long term prosperity for all the sides.

Ambassador Skinnerbach made the remarks at the Kukpalgu community, located in the Mion District of the Northern Region, during the project launch of Re-greening Africa phase II.

“The European Union (EU) is ready and remain committed to working with government, partners including local authorities and communities. Our aim is to help create the right conditions for sustainable and productive investments in Ghana and in line with the EU’s Global Gateway Strategy which covers sectors like Agriculture, Energy, Education and Health,” he explained.

A consortium of Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs) namely; World Vision Ghana (WVG) and Catholic Relief Service (CRS), in partnership with World Agroforestry (ICRAF), with funding from the European Union (EU) are implementing the Regreening African Project which covers Yendi and Mion Districts in the Northern Region as well as the Bawku West, Garu and Binduri districts in the Upper East Region.

The project, modeled on land restoration practices like agroforestry and Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), aim at restoring degraded landscapes, strengthen climate resilience, and improve livelihoods for smallholder farmers within the targeted areas.

The EU Ambassador mentioned the initiative isn’t only an environmental project, but about helping farmers, since these challenges create uncertainties for smallholder farm families and put pressures on natural resources as well.

“We are here today, because we also believe in solutions. We know that damaged land can be restored. The results of the first phase of the project are encouraging. We know that communities can adapt and succeed when they have the right tools and support” “The EU is proud to support the Regreening Africa initiative, building on strong results achieved in the first phase, and to continue the partnership with World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, and Center for International Forestry Research,” Ambassador Skinnerbach stated.

Working with local communities and their leaders, the consortium partners were able to restored nearly one million hectares of land and supported over 600,000 households across eight African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Mali, Rwanda and Senegal from 2017 to 2023, and in Ghana, the project restored approximately 53,800 hectares of degraded land across the Bawku West, Garu Tempane, and Mion districts.

Within the next phase, spanning 2026 to 2029, the Regreeening Africa project hopes to leverage on earlier progress by expanding opportunities within green and restoration-focused rural enterprises, particularly those involving youth, women, and tree-based value chains.

Phase II is expected to generate widespread benefits, including increased adoption of regreening practices among at least 200,000 additional smallholder households, greater community resilience through healthier soils and more diverse agricultural systems, improved food and nutrition security, higher incomes, and strengthened green enterprises that create new opportunities for youth and women.

Northern Regional Minister, Adolf Ali John, who launched the Phase II of the project, highlighted the significance of the initiative towards addressing climate change vulnerability, especially in northern Ghana which has the lowest adaptive capacity due to low socio-economic factors with livelihoods dependent on rain-fed systems in agriculture and forestry.

“Government sees re-greening not as a project, but as a strategic pathway for climate resilience, food security, social stability, and economic transformation,” he explained.

While commending the partners for their successes from a 7% at the start of the project to 70% by the close of the first phase, the Minister thereby called on the project implementation team to create an opportunity for knowledge transfer by allowing the participating districts to share the project experience with non-participating districts. .

Adolf Ali also appreciated the European Union and the Consortium for helping to improving the livelihoods of the people, which consequently has a bearing on poverty reduction.

The National Direct of World Vision Ghana, Dr. Tinah Mukunda in her welcoming address indicated that, in Phase 1, over 5,452 households were reached and an estimated 5,117 hectares of land restored.

“These outcomes reflect the resilience and dedication of our communities as well as the strong collaboration among consortium partners by working closely with local authorities, community-based organizations, and technical partners, supported by joint monitoring visits that enabled us to track progress, address challenges, and enhance learning,” she remarked

WVG’s National Director also emphasized the collective commitment of the consortium to advancing sustainable restoration, empowering women and youth, strengthening value chains, and improving livelihoods.

“Today’s launch is a renewed promise, both to our land and to future generations, that we will continue working together to restore degraded landscapes and build resilience against climate change,” D. Mukunda added.

For his part the Head of Programming at Catholic Relief Service (CRS, Ghana), Dr. Francis Gumah, reechoed strong partnership’s role in the establishment of the Northern Restoration Initiative, a multi-stakeholder platform for coordinated restoration planning and action across the Northern regions.

“The endline report shows that Ghana experienced the highest growth in adoption of regreening practices among all eight participating countries—rising from 7% of households at baseline to 70% at endline. This phenomenal change was not achieved by any single institution; it was the result of community leadership, government commitment, and the combined efforts of CRS, World Vision, CIFOR-ICRAF, and our district partners.

Dr. Gumah said phase II offered the consortium yet another opportunity to consolidate the gains and move from successful pilots to durable, landscape-scale transformation.

Earlier, the team made a stop at the Gbewaa Palace in Yendi, where they paid a courtesy call on Ya-na Mahama Abukari II, the overlord of Dagbon.

Story By: Nelson Adanuti Nyadror |www.diamondfmonline.com |Ghana.