The Accelerated Rural Development Organisation (ARDO) on May 5 successfully held a Cross-Border Wildfire Management Meeting at Likpe Todome, uniting the Danyi Dzedrame and Danyi Koudzraga communities of Togo with the Likpe communities of Ghana around a shared climate change challenge.
Supported by the Gower Street Foundation, the meeting brought together the Guan District Assembly, the Ghana National Fire Service and community leaders from both nations to develop coordinated strategies against wildfires under the project: Building a Climate Resilient Ecosystem Through Reduction in Carbon Emissions within the Guan District of Ghana.
The dialogue built on last year’s engagement in Togo and reinforced a defining reality; climate threats cut across borders and so must the solutions.
ARDO’s initiative targets cross-border wildfires along the Akwapim-Togo ranges through community consensus building, capacity development and the establishment of fire volunteer groups to safeguard the landscape. The urgency of this work is underscored by the growing threat to tree and animal species along the Ghana-Togo border from wildfires, logging and other human activities. These pressures contribute to global warming, affecting the local climate and threatening agricultural livelihoods.
Executive Director, Mr. Pascal Benson Atiglah explained that the organisation is working to form a network of border communities focused on wildfire prevention across the Akwapim-Togo range. He added that Fire Volunteer Groups would be established and provided the necessary training to combat wildfires when the need arises.
A significant concern raised during the meeting came from traditional authorities who identified herdsmen as the main culprits behind wildfires in the area. They urged ARDO and stakeholders to include the leaders of these herdsmen in future meetings and to compel them to adopt a no-wildfire policy to prevent bush burning and protect the ecosystem.
Guan District Chief Executive, Mr. Godfried Koku Kofie called on communities to work together to eradicate wildfires and stressed the importance of this effort in mitigating climate change impacts noting that his jurisdiction is already bearing the brunt. He pledged his commitment to equipping the Fire Volunteer Groups and providing funding to support their work in combating wildfires and protecting vegetation.
Event Photos
Ghana delegation
