The Executive Director for the Association for Climate Change Officers Ghana, Mohammed Haruna, has stated the need for government to offer sustainable livelihood opportunities to persons engaged in charcoal production in Ghana.

Mohammed Haruna believes that an alternative livelihood opportunity to charcoal sellers will reduce the impact of climate change as well as sustain the green Ghana initiative in the northern regions.

He made the revelation after a sensitization program for over 300 hundred charcoal producers in the Yapai-Kusawgu constituency in the Central Gonja district.

Speaking at the programme, Mohammed Haruna, called on the producers to opt for a sustainable alternative livelihood support to limit charcoal production in the district.

Mohammed Haruna believes sustainable climate change intervention is needed to halt or minimise the activities of charcoal production in the Savannah region.

He added that the sensitization initiative will be rolled out in seven regions where the production is common in the Savannah ecological zone.

Speaking to Atinka News, Abiba Mahamadu, a charcoal producer who participated in the program revealed that she had to travel several kilometres to cut down ten trees daily for each bag of charcoal to be produced, a situation she described as difficult.

“I cut down ten trees on the average in a day. Sometimes getting buyers for the bags of charcoal I have produced becomes very difficult. Despite all the challenges associated with the business and the fact that I have to travel miles in search for trees for my business, I cannot quit as it is my only source of income”, Abiba Mahamadu told Atinka News.

Source: Ghanaweb