GIZ-REACH Engages the Media in NW Ghana on Climate Change Reporting

The German Development Cooperation (GIZ)-Resilience Against Climate Change (REACH) project in the Upper West Region of Ghana organised a training workshop for the media in the region on climate change reporting tools.

The engagement among other things was also meant to increase the media awareness on the activities and interventions of the REACH project in its operational areas and to also deepen the understanding of media practitioners on climate change issues.

The event brought together journalists and media practitioners in the Upper West and Savannah Regions.

In his opening address, Mr Simon Kunyagna, the Deputy Project Manager of the GIZ-REACH project, noted that the project aimed to reduce the impact of climate change on the society.

“The REACH project seeks primarily to address the consequences of climate change on rural livelihoods in the Savannah ecological zone.

“Since its inception in 2019, the project has undertaken series of activities aimed at boosting the rural economy and improving rural income”, he explained.

He explained that as part of the interventions it was undertaking series of activities including farmer’s sensitisation on Conservation agriculture as well tree palnting exercise.

“35 Agriculture Extension Agents (AEAs) have been trained on Conservation Agriculture and agro forestry to facilitate their adoption and practice at the household and community levels”, he added.

He added that project was also working to develop the Babile Agricultural Research Station in the Lawra Municipality into a Conservation Agricultural (CA) Centre of Excellence to promote adoption of the CA technology.

“The REACH project had furnished the Babile Agric Research Station and Damongo Agric Stations with CA tillage equipment with a 15-acre CA trial plot set-up at the Babile Agric Research Station to promote the different CA technologies available”, he said.

Mr Kunyagna added that they had developed CA training manual had been developed with advanced plans in place for a programme on CA to be thought at the Damango Agricultural College.

“Four tractors, five pneumatic planters, eleven rippers and 20 jab planters have been procured to promote CA mechanization in the (Joint Project Area) JPA comprising all eleven districts of the Upper West region, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba and North Gonja districts in the Savannah region, and Mamprugu-Moagduri in the North East region.

Mr Mohammed Jamaldeen Gariba, the Technical Advisor, Monitoring and Evaluation of the REACH project, in a presentation, noted that the project had trained 1,785 farmers on the principles of CA with 57% of them being women.

According to him other success that project had chalked were: planting of about 28,000 tree seedlings in 18 communities within the Joint Project Area, establishment of Nature Clubs in six basic schools, and training of 20 Agricultural extension Agents in CA among others.

He indicated that the project had also trained 93 members of the District Planning and Coordinating Units in 14 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in IT/GIS to help in medium term development planning process among others.

Mr Emmanuel Maaweh Tanga, the Communications Officer of the REACH, also took participants through effective tools for media reporting on climate change, which were Foresight, Social Math and Nudging communication tools.