Ghana has faced significant biodiversity challenges due to environmental negligence
Ghana and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have announced a new initiative to develop a comprehensive biodiversity finance plan aimed at addressing a global biodiversity financing gap estimated at over $700 billion annually.
The partnership seeks to strengthen Ghana’s efforts to conserve its rich ecosystems while aligning with the country’s sustainable development goals and global biodiversity targets.
Speaking at the launch, the Chief Director at the Ministry of Environment, Science & Technology, Dr Peter Derry, said that in 2024, Ghana faced significant biodiversity challenges due to environmental negligence, which negatively impacted the economy.
To address this issue, Dr Derry hinted at the establishment of a national biodiversity action plan to tackle future challenges.
“Ghana was one of the countries to meet the deadline for the submission of national targets to the CBD, that was August last year. Beyond that, we’ve gone ahead to commence the process of developing our National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.
“We are almost at the tail end of the process. We are currently conducting consultations nationwide by zoning the country into four groups, bringing together people from different regions to ensure inclusivity,” he pointed out.
For her part, the Acting Deputy UNDP Resident Representative, Fati Attahiru, highlighted the UNDP’s objective in supporting Ghana’s action plan.
She emphasised the UNDP’s commitment to developing Ghana’s first national biodiversity finance plan.
“UNDP Ghana is optimistic that the governance arrangements, led by the Project Steering Committee, will guide the Ghana BIOFIN programme in developing the first National Biodiversity Finance Plan for Ghana, which will ultimately increase and catalyze financial resources for sound biodiversity actions,” she added.
By crafting a National Biodiversity Finance Plan (BioFin), the initiative will identify innovative funding solutions and integrate biodiversity considerations into national budgeting and economic planning.
SP/MA
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