Ghana's Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, urgently emphasizes the need for action against climate change and advocates for sustainable financing to protect the planet.

Addressing the ongoing Conference of Parties (COP28) in Dubai, hosted by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he discussed Ghana's strides towards achieving Net Zero and Zero Energy Poverty in his speech.

He stated that, “over the past few years, we have had to expend our limited resources on the protection of our forests and the implementation of our aggressive afforestation and reforestation programme, including the flagship Green Ghana Project, under which some forty-two million (42,000,000) trees have been planted over the last three years, and the Ghana Forest Plantation Strategy, under which we have cultivated some six hundred and ninety thousand hectares (690,000 ha) of degraded forest in just five years”.

He highlighted that through the Ghana Cocoa REDD+ Programme, Ghana successfully reduced emissions by 972,456 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (972,456 tCO2e) during the initial accounting period from June to December 2019.

This achievement, which has been verified and validated, resulted in a results-based payment of US$4,862,280.

Emphasizing the critical need for climate finance, particularly for forest and nature conservation, he stressed that it is the most effective tool in reaching the 1.5 degrees Celsius (1.5oC) target outlined in the Paris Agreement.

Mr. Jinapor urged developed nations to fulfill their climate finance commitments, including the long-standing promise of One Hundred Billion Dollars (US$100 billion) made at COP15 in Copenhagen over a decade ago.

He also mentioned the importance of the three billion US Dollars ($3 billion) pledged as part of the United States’ President’s Emergency Plan for Adaptation and Resilience (PREPARE) program. He cautioned that until these commitments are met, the global target will remain elusive.

Mr Jinapor was hopeful in referencing the inspiring words of the United Nations Secretary-General, H.E. Antonio Guterres, that “the climate emergency is a race we are losing, but it is a race we can win.”