Ghana close to issuing forest carbon credits under J-REDD+ programme – Minister

Ghana has announced it is close to issuing forest carbon credits under its ambitious J-REDD+ programme, as ministers and senior officials gathered in London with COP30 and COP31 leaders to accelerate action on forests ahead of the 2030 deadline to halt and reverse forest loss.

 

Ghana’s flagship Jurisdictional Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (J-REDD+) framework transitions traditional REDD+ projects into large-scale, national carbon credit programs. By focusing on entire ecological zones and linking climate finance directly to sustainable agriculture and livelihoods, it aims to protect forests while directly benefiting rural communities

 

Speaking at the event, Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Yusif Sulemana, called for a trusted international framework for jurisdictional forest carbon credits, highlighting the programme's potential to scale investment into high-quality forest and land-use mitigation activities that deliver climate benefits while improving livelihoods.

 

The event dubbed “From Glasgow to Addis Ababa: FCLP and COP Presidencies Building Momentum on Forests from COP30 to COP31,” focused on maintaining forests as a priority through the next phase of international climate cooperation, from COP30 in Brazil through COP31 in Türkiye.

 

Ministers from Nigeria, Indonesia, and Ghana, shared a range of national initiatives and priorities, including recent commitments related to the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment, sustainable bioeconomy initiatives, and high-integrity forest carbon credits. 

 

Nigeria’s Environment Minister, Balarabe Abbas Lawal, highlighted the Nigerian government’s work across a range of forest initiatives including the Great Green Wall and the implementation of a National Clean Cooking Policy and re-affirmed Nigeria’s support for the Intergovernmental Land Tenure Commitment. 

 

Minister of Forestry of Indonesia, Raja Juli Antoni, underlined the importance of protecting tropical peatlands and mangroves through the establishment of international centres for cooperation. He noted that mangroves are of the most effective nature-based solutions available, delivering climate mitigation and sustainable livelihoods. Indonesia is home to 3.4 million hectares of mangroves – roughly 23 per cent of the world’s mangrove ecosystems. 

 

The event also featured new commitments on land tenure rights from Peru and Brazil and a major forest finance pledge from Norway, underscoring growing momentum behind forest protection, sustainable land use and climate action ahead of COP30 in Brazil and COP31 in Türkiye.

 

The gathering underscored the growing importance of forests across the international climate agenda, bringing together representatives from multiple COP cycles to discuss how political leadership, finance, and implementation can help deliver the goal of halting and reversing forest loss by 2030.

 

"The ‘From Glasgow to Addis Ababa’ moment is key to sustaining the shift from ambition to implementation on forests. It allows us to advance the Roadmap to Halt and Reverse Deforestation and Forest Degradation by 2030, keeping political momentum alive and ensuring forests stay at the heart of climate action at the scale and speed required," said COP30 President, André Aranha Corrêa do Lago.

 

COP31 President, Murat Kurum, Minister of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change of Türkiye, also said “the COP31 Action Agenda is designed to strengthen partnerships, advance practical solutions, support implementation efforts, and create a lasting legacy.

 

“To this end, we have identified ten priority themes under the COP31 Action Agenda. These themes were not selected merely as areas of discussion; rather, they reflect the most pressing global challenges, the implementation needs of Parties, and the areas where COP31 can generate tangible and enduring impact”.

 

 

Local innovations tap into carbon financing to promote greener economy

Proponents of green initiatives geared towards mitigating the impact of climate change are exploring opportunities to receive support under the global carbon credit arrangements.

Carbon trading is a thriving economic venture as a result of global interest in issues of climate change.

Ghana has in times past failed to benefit from carbon financing as schemes like the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and REDD Plus are yet to rake in the needed revenue.

But there are new opportunities under the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for small businesses who are contributing to a reduction in carbon emission.

“Some organizations in Ghana have been able to access the carbon credit, especially collaborating with international organizations and now there is a breakdown of the cumbersome process which will help small industries to be able to benefit from the carbon credit”, says Lovans Owusu-Takyi, who coordinates a number of activities related to climate change, including the Ghana Alliance for clean cookstoves.

At the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in 2009, industrialized countries set a goal of mobilizing $100 billion per year by 2020 to support mitigation and adaptation activities in developing countries.

The Gold Standard certification scheme, recognized internationally as the benchmark for quality and rigour in both the compliance and voluntary carbon markets, is mobilizing half a billion Euros for high impact carbon offset projects.

The Standard certifies renewable energy, energy efficiency, waste management and land use and forest carbon offset projects to ensure that they all demonstrate real and permanent greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions and sustainable development benefits in local communities that are measured, reported and verified.

Sustainable development company, Ecosur Afrique, has been working with enterprises in sub-Saharan Africa with focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The firm has successfully registered a waste-to-composting plant with Zoomlion Ghana Limited which is expected to be included in the UNFCCC scheme for carbon financing.

Project Manager, Alexandre Dunod, says success has also been recorded with improved cook stoves which are receiving regular revenue from both the voluntary and regulatory markets of carbon financing.

Ecosur Afrique is currently supporting a Kumasi-based efficient cook stove manufacturer to sail through the Gold Standard certification.

Man and Man Enterprise has been contributing to a greener Ghanaian economy with the production and marketing of efficient biomass cooking stoves.

The “Holy Cook” stoves is helping to relieve pressure on the country’s forests and reducing harmful smoke emissions.

Product innovator, Michael Yaw Agyei, says the stoves, made from scrap metals with an in-built ceramic lining, have social, environmental and economic benefits – reducing charcoal consumption by 40%, creating jobs for the youth and reducing forest depletion.

According to him, attracting external funding would position the firm to be competitive with other firms who are accessing carbon credit. This, he noted will help grow the business and also minimize the cost of the stove for poor communities.

“Some of the credit will be used to increase our production and through the increase we can increase our profit margin and most of the money will also be used to subsidize the cost so that the end user can get it at affordable price”, Michael stated.

Story by Kofi Adu Domfeh