The ministry of lands and natural resources has reaffirmed its commitment to hosting INBAR’s West Africa Regional Office in Accra.

The Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio, paid a working visit to International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation’s (INBAR) newly allocated West Africa Regional Office (WARO). His visit reflects the continuous commitment of the Government of Ghana in its quest to continue hosting and supporting INBAR WARO in the execution of its mission to sustainably develop bamboo and rattan resources across West Africa.

The Deputy Minister expressed optimism that the new office suits the status of a Regional Office of an international organization such as the International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR), particularly given its close proximity to the Cooperate Head Office of the Forestry Commission of Ghana.

“It is my sincere believe that management at INBAR Headquarters in Beijing appreciates this new office and that Ghana will continue to host and support the Regional Office to serve the West Africa Region effectively.”
Benito Owusu-Bio

On his part, Mr. Michael Kwaku, Acting INBAR Regional Director for INBAR WARO, accepted the office handover on behalf of Ali Mchumo, INBAR’s Director General. He expressed his gratitude to the Government of Ghana, especially the actions of the Minister, Deputy Minister and Technical Director at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources for hosting and supporting INBAR WARO for nearly two decades.

INBAR lauds support of government

Mr Kwaku lauded government’s support over the years and mentioned that government aid is vital for bolstering sustainable development efforts around the world, particularly for tackling global challenges like climate change, landscape degradation and rural poverty.

He equally assured the government envoys that INBAR will continue to deepen its ties with Ghana to serve as the gateway for the development of bamboo and rattan resources, as multifunctional nature-based solutions, across other INBAR Member States in West Africa.

The acting INBAR Regional Director for INBAR WARO led the high-level guests around the new facilities, which include offices for the Regional Director, Accounts, Administration, Communications and Research, and Programs.

The Deputy Minister was accompanied by Mr. Joseph Osiakwan, the Technical Director at the same Ministry who also doubles as the INBAR Focal Point in Ghana.

It will be recalled that in November last year, the International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) marked 25 years of protecting, developing and utilising bamboo and rattan resources as an alternative to timber.

The anniversary, which coincided with the Second Global Bamboo and Rattan Congress, held in China, was on the theme: ‘Bamboo and Rattan – Nature Based Solution to Sustainable Development’.

Mr Michael Kwaku, the West African Regional Director of INBAR, emphasized the 25 years of advocacy to highlight the benefits of bamboo and rattan for effective utilization was worth celebrating.
He revealed while people neglected the two as inferior species, INBAR saw their commercial values and the role they could play in global efforts to combat climate change.

Essentially, up until October 2022, INBAR WARO was hosted by the Forestry Research Institute of Ghana of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR-FORIG) in the city of Kumasi for 19 years. However, over the years, Accra has seen increased political and administrative activities along with higher concentration of international organizations.

Accordingly, INBAR leadership envisioned that relocating INBAR WARO to the capital would enhance INBAR’s working relations with its Focal Ministry in Ghana along with other line ministries, agencies and other international organizations, situating it in the perfect area for enhancing multistakeholder collaboration.

In July 2022, the Government of Ghana, through its Ministry for Lands and Natural Resource, officially granted INBAR a new office space in Accra. Accordingly, there was much jubilation when the Deputy Minister and Technical Director jointly visited INBAR WARO to inspect the new office facilities and officially complete handover of the office to INBAR.