Sankana: Professor Emmanuel K. Derbile, the Vice Chancellor of the SDD-University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (SDD-UBIDS), has called on stakeholders to adopt measures to protect shea trees for posterity. He acknowledged the economic and medicinal value of the shea tree and called for a community-based approach, effective leadership, and stakeholder commitment in protecting the shea landscape.
According to Ghana News Agency, Prof. Derbile made the call at Sankana in the Nadowli-Kaleo District during the 2025 Shea Day Celebration organized by the Global Shea Alliance (GSA) on the theme: 'Plant a Shea Tree, Restore Livelihoods'. The event aimed to highlight the significance of the shea industry in environmental sustainability, women's empowerment, and economic development, as well as promote the sustainability of shea parklands.
The celebration also witnessed the launch of the Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project (GSLERP) and a symbolic shea planting exercise. The GSLERP, funded by the Green Climate Fund and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and implemented by the GSA and Forestry Commission, aims to plant about 3.5 million shea trees across the five regions in northern Ghana.
Prof. Derbile commended the GSA and its partners for the project but emphasized the need for a deliberate policy framework to protect the shea landscape. He explained that mechanisms must be put in place to ensure sustainability beyond the project launch. The SDD-UBIDS, with support from the GSA, has already planted about 8,000 tree seedlings, including shea, with plans to plant more.
Rt. Hon. Alban S. K. Bagbin, the Speaker of Parliament, in a speech read on his behalf by Prof. Damasus Tuurosung, noted that the GSLERP would contribute to ensuring Ghana's climate resilience and is a strategic investment in the economic empowerment of rural women and sustainable land management. He pledged parliament's commitment to the initiative, emphasizing that solutions to climate change, rural poverty, and gender inequality can originate locally.
Dr. Abdul-Razak Saeed, Head of Environment and Climate at the UNDP, highlighted the shea tree's potential to contribute significantly to northern Ghana's economic growth. He expressed satisfaction with the UNDP's partnership with the GSA, the Forestry Commission, and Green Climate Fund Finance to implement the GSLERP, urging collaboration between the government, private sector, and communities to protect the shea landscape.
Mr. Charles Lwanga Puozuing, the Upper West Region Minister, in a speech read on his behalf, said the initiative would support government efforts in restoring degraded lands and combating climate change. Meanwhile, Madam Portia Alale, the Vice President of the Sankana Co-operative Association, urged societal action to protect the shea tree from destruction, as it remains the preferred choice for charcoal burning.
