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Civil Society Organizations advocating for cocoa and environmental sustainability have called on stakeholders in the Cocoa value chain to support the effective implementation of the Cocoa and Forest Initiative (CFI).
The CFI is a project by the government of Ghana, Cote d’Voire together with 32 Cocoa and Chocolate companies committed to collaboratively work to end deforestation and promote forest protection and restoration in the Cocoa supply chain.
The initiative seeks to address the inadequate stakeholder participation in the CFI implementation at both the national and landscape level, while supporting in using participatory approaches to monitor the CFI at the landscape level.
Speaking at a day’s training programme for the media in Accra recently, Managing Campaigner at EcoCare Ghana, Mr Obed Owusu- Addai indicated that the initiative is to ensure that all relevant stakeholders are actively involved in CFI at both the national and local levels. The initiative also looks to foster a good working relationship among Farmer-Based Organizations, CSOs, Community Based Organization, Cocoa Farming Communities and the CFI process to ensure the implementation of the initiative.
According to him, the project is also designed to develop the capacities of civil society organizations to actively participate in CFI implementation activities at all levels.
He indicated that in order to realize the objectives of the CFI in addressing the challenges of cocoa deforestation, it is important the other stakeholders ‘such as local civil society Organizations, International Non-Governmental Organization and development partners contribute through a multi- stakeholder process.
On her part, Ms Glowen Kyei-Menah, programmes manager of Sustainable Trade Initiative (IDH) explained that the CFI was initiated under the patronage of the His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales in 2017.
The Initiative, she said, has become the main medium through which private- sector and government are collaborating to achieve the commitments in the joint statement of Action.
She told the gathering that part of the Joint Framework for Action by the parties commits to prohibit and prevent activities in the Cocoa sector that contribute to any further deforestation or forest degradation in national parks while ensuring sustainable intensification and diversification of income in order to increase farmers yields.
By Mohammed Suleman
