Ghana is reported to have one of the highest deforestation rates in Africa at around 2% per year. To combat this loss, Ghana is in the process of building a national strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from forest loss and degradation, with the support of the World Bank´s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and Forest Investment Program (FIP), as well as private donors.
Ghana developed a REDD Readiness Preparation Note (R-PIN), which was approved in July 2008 and a REDD Readiness Preparation Proposal (R-PP), which was signed in August 2009. More recently, Ghana produced a draft investment plan for the FIP. This FIP funding will be reported as part of the 2012 data later this year.
Ghana’s REDD+ financing landscape is set out below:
Mapping the flows of REDD+ financing to Ghana highlights that the largest donors of REDD+ finance from 2009 to 2012 are Multilateral Institutions (US$54.3 million to the Government of Ghana) and the Government of Ghana (US$39.1 million in co-funding), accounting for 96% of the REDD+ funding.
Donor governments are committing over US$10.4 million to multiple sectors (Government of Ghana, Multilateral implementing agents and International and local NGOs and Academia).
Commitments to Ghanaian NGOs and academia are receiving 2.3% and international NGOs and academia are receiving 1.3% of the total commitments.
An overview of the REDD+ financing landscape in Ghana highlights that a large proportion of funds (47%) has been committed by the Forest Investment Program (World Bank, African Development Bank and International Finance Corporation) to The Ministry of Lands & Natural Resources of Ghana (MLNR). The MLNR of Ghana committed another US$36 million (34% of total REDD+ funding) to REDD+ activities. Other large donors include the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Forestry Commission (FC) of Ghana, committing US$7.8 million and US$3 million, respectively.
International NGOs/academia and multilateral implementing agents have received small amounts of REDD+ finance for Ghana, while Ghanaian NGOs/Academia received slightly more, with commitments totaling US$2.2 million.
Thus far, only about US$1 million of finance committed to Ghana has been passed on to second recipients, including US$297,205 passed from Multilateral Implementing Agent, ITTO, to the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana (FORIG).
Total commitments increased from US$1.8 million in 2009 to US$105.6 million in 2012. The sharp increase in commitments between 2011 and 2012 was the result of major donations made by multilateral development agencies towards Ghana’s Forest Investment Plan (FIP), as well as the large co-financing commitment by Ministry of Lands & Natural Resources of Ghana (MLNR).
As a result of this 2012 increase, the disbursement rate stands at 14%, with only US$14.3 million disbursed.