Amid escalating global concern over Ghana’s environmental decline, the European Union has stepped in with a €2.4 million grant, signalling stronger international involvement in efforts to rescue the country’s fast-disappearing forests from illegal mining and other destructive activities.
The grant, awarded to three not-for-profit organisations, aims to restore about 5,000 hectares of degraded forest reserves—a move that development experts say reflects the growing urgency with which global partners view Ghana’s deforestation crisis.
Illegal mining, logging, and recurring wildfires have ravaged forest reserves across the Ahafo, Bono East, Upper East, and Western Regions, attracting international scrutiny as the pace of degradation threatens biodiversity, climate commitments, and cross-border environmental security.
Paulina Pozycka, Head of Infrastructure and Sustainable Development at the EU Delegation to Ghana, stressed that the destruction of forest reserves has implications far beyond Ghana’s borders. She noted that shrinking forest cover undermines ecosystems, weakens rural economies, and contributes to global climate vulnerability.
“The EU is proud to support Ghana’s forest restoration policy. Forests are not only national assets—they are vital to global climate balance and the livelihoods of millions,” she said at the project launch.
The initiative goes beyond tree planting. It is also designed to train 20,000 rural farmers, equipping them with sustainable land-use skills that could reduce pressure on forest reserves while boosting income opportunities.
Environmental analysts say the EU’s latest intervention is a reminder that Ghana’s fight against galamsey is no longer a domestic matter alone but part of a wider international agenda to protect critical forest landscapes.
