Ghana’s charcoal commodity chain soon to receive more attention

The AX project will examine how each set of actors along Ghana’s charcoal commodity chain gain or maintain access to benefits. It will identify how the means of access and exclusion shape current distribution of benefits in this sector. It provides the basis for the design of equitable natural resource policy and practice. This project will hone access analysis as a means for guiding the design of natural resource benefit sharing arrangements. This will be done through research that will lead to the award of three PhDs and six Master of Science degrees. Two of the PhD studies will be research into processes of access and exclusion in the charcoal commodity chain in Ghana and their dynamics in time and space. This will be carried out in two different areas; Kintampo in the Brong Ahafo Region and Afram Plains in the Eastern Region. The third PhD research will analyze the environmental sustainability of charcoal production in Ghana using Kintampo area as a reference point.

A project inception meeting was held earlier this year at Excelsa Lodge in Kumasi. Issues discussed at the meeting were the project governance structure, budget and financial management, structure and supervision of the PhD studies. A field visit to the project sites were also made as part of the project inception. Prof. C.P. Hansen of the Department of Food and Resource Economics (IFRO), UC is the principal responsible party. In Ghana, Dr. B. Kyereh and Dr. E. Acheampong of the Department of Silviculture and Forest Management, KNUST will lead the commodity chain analysis. Prof. K.S. Amanor of Institute of African Studies at UG and Dr. O. Pabi of the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at UG will lead the investigations on the environmental sustainability of charcoal production. Mr. K.S. Nketiah of TBI Ghana will facilitate the local charcoal platforms and the national stakeholder forum. Prof. J. Ribot of Department of Geography, University of Illinois, a leading international scholar on rights and access dynamics, together with Prof. C.P. Hansen are responsible for a combined PhD course/“master-class” and for the organization of the scientific conference and special issue of a peer-reviewed journal.