The EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries at the European Commission, Virginijus Sinkevičius, concluded a productive visit to Ghana to strengthen collaboration in tackling deforestation, promoting sustainable agriculture and fisheries, and advancing climate action.

The Commissioner met with cocoa traders and government officials, including the Minister of Land and Natural Resources, Samuel A. Jinapor, the Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture, Mavis Hawa Koomson, and the Chief Executive of Ghana Cocoa Board, Joseph Boahen Aidoo.

The exchanges covered deforestation, sustainable agriculture promotion, and the advancement of climate action initiatives, while also gauging Ghana’s preparedness on cocoa traceability in light of new EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR).

Commissioner Sinkevičius also discussed Ghana’s advance in forest governance with the implementation and operationalisation of the timber legality assurance system, otherwise known as FLEGT.

Commissioner Sinkevičius commended Ghana’s efforts to comply with the requirements of the new EU Deforestation Regulations (EUDR) for cocoa traceability.

The EU supports Ghana in this endeavour, with a package of EUR 8 million to set up the Ghana Cocoa Traceability System. The EUDR tackles deforestation and forest degradation by promoting the consumption of ‘deforestation-free’ products and reducing the EU’s impact on global deforestation.

The new Regulation on deforestation-free products, set to come into force at the end of 2024, is expected to bring down global greenhouse gas emissions and biodiversity loss.