Indigenous charcoal production is an alternative source of livelihoods for most indigenous men and women in Asesewa in the Manya Krobo District of the Eastern Region.
The people engaged in commercial charcoal production rely on the charcoal business to fend for themselves and their families.
They are traders, and farmers with plantations of Acacia, alongside food stuffs of cassava, plantain, and maize farms.
The charcoal producers in the area have formed an association to tackle bottlenecks confronting their operations and sustain them in business, amid climate change impact.
Initiative
The group, Charcoal Producers Association, has initiated a project aimed at restoring the forest cover and depleted woodlands in the district.
Dubbed “fell-one, replace 10 trees” the association believes environmental sustainability remains the surest way to sustain their socio-economic livelihood of the charcoal business.
They are currently undertaking an afforestation programme and planting more acacia trees to restore the vegetative cover and depleted forest resources in the area, as a measure to mitigate climate change impact.
Mr Joseph Narh, the Chairman of the Bisa branch of the Association told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) the charcoal producers were encouraged and supported to cultivate the acacia tree, which matured in six years.
Describing the charcoal business as lucrative, he said the initiative brings new hope to the producers, saying they had all embraced the initiative and undertaken the tree planting project.
He said there are about close to one million men and women engaged in the charcoal business spread across Asesewa, Adife, Kabo, Adife-Sokwenya, Bisa, Dawa, Djakane-Dawa, Kono-Dawa and Ogome-Dawa communities.
Climate adaptation and mitigation actions
Woodlands and rich forest resources are central and play an integral role towards mitigation of climate change impact in the country.
In fact, the country is experiencing the impact of climate change, including extreme heat, drying up of water bodies, unpredictable weather patterns, erratic rainfall, among others.
Thanks to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for his commitment to the implementation of the International Climate Action Agenda which birthed the Green Ghana Initiative.
The President launched the initiative three years ago and declared June every year as a mass tree planting exercise that inspires corporate and religious bodies, institutions and every Ghanaian to plant, nurture and own a tree.
Checks reveal over 42 million trees had so far been planted to restore the vegetative covers and the nation depleted forest resources since the initiative was launched in 2021.
Further checks confirmed that though many of the trees were doing well, many others could not do well in the dry seasons.
Commenting on the potential of Green Ghana, Mr Narh said the Charcoal Producers Association picked inspiration from the government Initiative and had since cultivated and nurtured more acacia trees not only to enhance their charcoal business, but also contribute their quota to mitigating climate change in the country.
“As an association we are also committed to ensuring that the President’s vision for the nation on climate change succeeds”, he stated.
Credit Union
Most of the charcoal producers have joined the “Onyemi Kormor, Okormor” Cooperative Credit Union, which means “your neighbour’s problem is your problem” which had been in operation for decades in the area.
It is a self-help initiative to provide financial assistance to farmers, traders, and charcoal producers to expand their economic activities.
Mr. Narh, an executive member of the Co-operative Credit Union, said the union was also supporting the charcoal producers to engage in the re-afforestation programme.
Testimony
Addey, one of the charcoal producers, testified to the GNA that after felling a tree “we all ensure that we plant and nurture 10 trees which mature six years for harvesting”.
“In fact, the initiative has been great for us in business. We are all on the lookout in ensuring that anybody who fell an acacia tree for charcoal burning replace 10 additional trees” he stated.
Another charcoal producer, Gifty Doe Tetteh said “we are all checking against wanton destruction of the forest cover,” saying since the charcoal business was their source of economic livelihood, they were ready to plant more trees.
Employment Opportunities
Figures estimate the charcoal business fetched direct and indirect jobs for more than 100,000 people in the Eastern part of the country.
Tetteh said she had been in the charcoal business since childhood saying as a single mother it was the only source of livelihood for her family.
John Tetteh, a charcoal retailer at the Nkurakan market, also highlighted the need for all the charcoal producers to contribute to the tree planting exercise, saying that was the only way they could be sustained in business.
