Mr. Asher Nkegbe, the Upper East Regional Director, Environmental Protection Agency, says drought remains a significant threat to Northern Ghana’s livelihood and underscored the urgent need for stakeholders to take steps to protect and conserve the environment to mitigate the challenge.

According to the ‘Ghana National Drought Plan’, Ghana initiated steps in combating the effects of drought and desertification since1985 after suffering the devastating effects of a national drought in 1982 and 1983.

“In the Northern part of Ghana, the drought is compounded by population and livestock pressures on land… We experience harsh climatic conditions, unpredictable rainfall, inappropriate farming practices that encourage erosion and impoverishment of our soils”.
Asher Nkegbe

He said this led to low agriculture productivity, creating food and nutritional insecurity among the already impoverished families and calling for collective efforts to combat the challenge.

Mr. Nkegbe made these assertions at Bolgatanga, commemorating this year’s World Day to Combat Drought and Desertification on the theme, “Rise from drought together.”

According to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) report, between 1900 and 2019, about 2.7 billion people were affected by drought with about 11.7 million deaths recorded.

In 2019 alone, over 45 million people across Africa experienced drought-related food insecurity.

Mr. Nkegbe said, as a result, the UNCCD in 2017 supported drought-prone countries, including Ghana, to develop robust interventions and programmes to build the resilience of communities, and that move led to the development of the Ghana National Drought Plan.

Apart from this, he said, the World Bank and other partners supported the country in scaling up the Sustainable Land and Water Management Project through the six-year Ghana Landscape Restoration and Small-Scale Mining Project to reverse degraded lands and forests to mitigate climate change.

Traditional leaders should develop regulations on bushfires in their communities

He said Ghana is committed to the international protocols on drought and desertification and the Sustainable Development Goals and added, “We encourage everyone to take steps to protect the environment, conserve our water bodies and use them sustainably for the good of all of us.”

Mr. Stephen Yakubu, the Upper East Regional Minister, noted that annual bushfires remained a significant contributor to environmental destruction and drought, particularly in the Upper East Region, which was retarding afforestation efforts.

He proposed that bushfires be declared national security threats and be given the necessary consideration it deserves to combat the menace and called on the Municipal and District Assemblies to enact and enforce by-laws to fight the canker.

“Traditional leaders should also develop rules and regulations on bushfires in their communities,” he added.

The Regional Minister entreated Ghanaians to support the government’s regreening projects, notably the Green Ghana Initiative, to restore degraded landscapes and forest reserves to mitigate climate change.

The day was marked with tree planting at strategic places in the Bolgatanga Municipality.