The Adaptation Fund was established under the Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2001 to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MEST) with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is implementing the project in some selected communities in the north.

   Mr Asher Nkegbe, the Upper East Regional Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), made the call when the technical team of the Project undertook separates community visits to the beneficiary communities in the Upper East Region to engage them on the project implementation and to solicit for their support in the process.

  He explained that as a result of de-siltation of many rivers and dams coupled with the erratic rainfall patterns in the regions, farming activities were often affected thereby lowering food productivity.

   The Regional Director said the Project would make significant impact in the area of climate change and would improve upon the livelihoods of the beneficiary communities and urged all the stakeholders involved particularly traditional rulers and the District Assemblies in the Project implementation areas to get actively involved.

   “The project when successfully implemented has the potential of not only improving upon the livelihoods of community members , but will also help curb rural urban migration among our youth since it will  provide an avenue for dry season farming”.

    Dr Emmanuel Techie Obeng, the Technical Advisor of the Project, said among the project objectives was to contribute to the restoration of rivers and dams and also help harvest the perennial spillage of the Bagre dam in Burkina Faso to help fill the Akosombo dam.

      He said all the necessary structures had been put in place including the national, regional and District committees as well as committees at the community level for engagements and the selection of ideal ecosystems management suitable for the respective beneficiary communities.

      The Project would de-silt dams and dugouts, support rain water harvesting, create buffer zones, drill more boreholes, mechanize high boreholes and dugouts for irrigation, support community based beekeeping, create fire belts, establish community nursery for seedling production as well as introduce cage fishing in rehabilitated water bodies.

   Mr Peter Dery, the National Coordinator of the Adaptation Fund Project, said the project was targeting ten Districts in the three regions of the north with a total of fifty selected communities and indicated that the selected areas were done based on their vulnerability to climate change.

   “The project is to directly benefit 60,000 people from the target project regions and indirectly benefit over eight million Ghanaians living along the Volta River Basin. It is also expected to increase access to water and diversification of livelihoods activities and increase income generation activities by 30 per cent of the households in the target project committees”, he said.

    The beneficiary  communities in the Upper East Region where the Project team  visited and  engaged with the communities during their community entry outreach included the Tambalug, Kuka, Zabugu , Gentiga Tampizua, all in the Bawku Municipal, Nosgua , Farik, Tilli , Azupunpuga, Timonde and Dagunga , in the Bawku West  District.

   The rest are Yidongo , Gorigo, Adaboya, Vea and Amanga in the Bongo District and Wiesi, Kanjarga,  Chansa, Bogninga and Bachuisa in the Builsa South District.