UNESCO HOLDS CONFERENCE ON GREEN ECONOMY IN KUMASI

                         

      

 United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO in

 partnership with the Korean International Cooperation Agency, KOICA, is sponsoring a three-year project code-named Green Economy in three selected  biospheres at a cost of one point-two million Dollars in three sub-Saharan countries. 

These are the Bia Biosphere Reserve in the Juabeso and Bia districts of Ghana, Omo Biosphere Reserve at Ijebu in the Ogun State of Nigeria and the East Usambara biosphere Reserve in the Muheza district of Tanzania. 

The project, which started last year will end in 2016, aims to engender a symbiotic relationship among residents of the fringed communities of the selected biosphere reserves and the fauna in the reserves for the sake of posterity. 

As part of the project, the first Conference involving project implementers from the three participating countries, representatives of the UNESCO and the KOICA is underway in the Ashanti regional capital to review the progress of the project so far and what needs to be done to make the entire project very successful. 

Speaking to Ashanti Today, the Head and Representative of UNESCO in Accra, Tirso Dos Santos further explained that the Green Economy project seeks ultimately to diversify local economies in and around biospheres or forest reserves for the conservation of such facilities, contribute to poverty reduction as well as ensure sustainable development in the beneficiary countries. 

In pursuant to these, objectives, Mr. Santos noted, that residents of communities in the concerned biospheres are being trained in alternative livelihoods to discourage them from destruction of the reserves since such facilities are very important natural resources. 

The UNESCO’s Accra Representative noted that the security and livelihood of most Africans are linked directly to biological resources leading to fast depletion of those reserves. 

In a presentation, the Coordinator of the Ghana implementation Committee known as MAB, Mrs. Sheila Ashon said 232 out of 830 applicants from the fringe communities of the Bia reserve have been selected to benefit from the project package. 

The number includes 40 percent women and that training programmes in various economic activities such as snail rearing, mushroom and palm oil production has started. 

In addition, eight thousand juvenile snails, prawns of mushroom as well as pens for snail rearing have been supplied to the beneficiaries to set up alternative livelihood projects. 

There were similar presentations by the implementation committees from Nigeria and Tanzania. 

The participants of the Conference would visit the Bia biosphere in the Western region to learn at first hand what is actually happening as part of the conference.