INBAR West Africa Regional Office Regional Director visits Togo

INBAR visits Togo to strengthen the relationship between the organization and the country.

From 25-28 July, Mr. Michael Kwaku, Acting Regional Director of INBAR’s West Africa Regional Office (WARO), visited the Togolese Republic with the aim of strengthening the relationship between INBAR and the country and exploring ways to develop innovative programs to support Togo’s bamboo and rattan sector.

During his visit, the Acting Regional Director met with personnel from the government of Togo, international agencies and donors, and the Chinese Ambassador to Togo. Mr. Kwaku delivered a presentation and participatory session with all the department heads of the Ministry of Environment and Forest Resources of Togo, which is the INBAR focal point in the country. In the session, it was agreed on the urgent need to develop a scientific inventory of the bamboo resources in the country to understand the current state of the stock and to materialize a bamboo and rattan strategic plan to provide direction on the short, medium, and long term development for the sector. In his meeting with the Chinese Ambassador to Togo, H.E. Mr. Chao Weidong, the ambassador expressed his motivation to include bamboo and rattan as part of the discussions on the bilateral support China can provide to the creation of an alternative livelihood that solves environmental challenges of the people of Togo, particularly on the areas of bamboo plantation, capacity building, and land restoration.

Since 1990, 43.6 percent of  Togo’s forests have been lost. Greater efforts have been taken into place to address this issue, this year the Global Environment Facility is providing funding for a project to restore land and preserve resources in the country. INBAR with its proven track of initiatives on using bamboo for land restoration knows how this resource can play a meaningful role as a nature-based solution to reduce erosion and reverse land degradation, among other countless ecosystems services and improvement of livelihoods opportunities for Togo.

In 2021 INBAR WARO began undertaking official visits to its Member and non-Member States within West Africa. In 2021, led by the former WARO Regional Director for WARO, Dr. Ernest Nti Acheampong, five countries were visited: Benin, The Gambia, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. With these visits, INBAR expects to gain deeper insight into the state of bamboo and rattan resources, the current utilization and further development needed and meet related government officials, agencies and other stakeholders to discuss potential bamboo and rattan project implementation and further collaboration.

During the visit, Mr. Kwaku met with:

• Mr. Katari Foli Bazi, Minister of Environment and Forest Resources.
• Lt Col Dimizou Koffi Aoufoh, Secretary General of the Ministry of Environment and Forest Resources.
• Lt Col Chamsoudine Afoda, Directorate of Forest Resources.
• Dr. Monkouna F. Lardja, Technical Advisor of the Ministry of Environment and Forest Resources and Chairman of the National Agency for Environment Management.
• H.E. Mr. Chao Weidong, China Ambassador to Togo.
• Mr. Koffi E. Atari, National Coordinator United Nations Development Programme Global Environmental Facility in Togo
• Mr. Abiziou Tchingguilou, Climate Change Specialist and Programme Officer of the United Nations Development Programme, Togo.
• Mr. Galine Yanon, Climate Finance Specialist of the United Nations Development Programme, Togo.
• Mr. Oyetounde Djiwa, Assistance Representative (Programs) at the Food and Agriculture Organization, Togo.
• Mr. Christel Goa, Mission in Charge, French Development Agency.
• Mr. Sergio Marinelli,  Minister Counsellor and Head of the Political Affairs/Info Section of the Delegation of European Union in Togo.