EU-Funded Regreening Africa Initiative Launches 2nd Phase to Combat Land Degradation and Boost Climate Resilience in Ghana's Northern Region
Kukpalgu, Mion District, Northern Region, Ghana
Tuesday, 25 November 2025
World Vision Ghana and Catholic Relief Services (CRS), in partnership with World Agroforestry (ICRAF) and with funding from the European Union (EU), have officially launched the Regreening Africa Phase II (RA II) Project in Kukpalgu in the Mion District, Northern Region of Ghana. This marks a significant step in scaling up efforts to restore degraded landscapes, strengthen climate resilience, and improve livelihoods for smallholder farmers in the Bawku West, Garu, Tempane and Binduri districts in the Upper East Region; and Yendi and Mion districts in the Northern Region of Ghana.
Phase II will support and incentivise smallholder farmers and pastoral households to adopt diverse and profitable regreening practices by strengthening policy environments, improving local governance systems, empowering women and youth, and stimulating greater investment in restoration efforts. It also aims to promote evidence-based decision-making by ensuring that communities, institutions, and governments rely on research and data to guide and adapt restoration strategies. Another core aim is to expand opportunities within green and restoration-focused rural enterprises, particularly those involving youth, women, and tree-based value chains. Phase II is expected to generate widespread benefits, including increased adoption of regreening practices among at least 200,000 additional smallholder households, greater community resilience through healthier soils and more diverse agricultural systems, improved food and nutrition security, higher incomes, and strengthened green enterprises that create new opportunities for youth and women. The programme will also encourage broader use of research and evidence by governments, civil society, and private sector actors to guide restoration decisions.
This second phase builds on the continent-wide success of Phase I, which restored nearly 1 million hectares of land and supported over 600,000 households across eight African countries from 2017 to 2023. The project has been recognised as a UN World Restoration Flagship for its exemplary, large-scale ecosystem restoration work. The launch reaffirms Ghana's commitment to the AFR100 Initiative, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and national climate adaptation priorities.
Speaking at the Launch, EU Ambassador to Ghana, Rune Skinnebach said: “We are here today because we also believe in solutions. We know that damaged land can be restored. The results of the first phase of the project are encouraging. We know that communities can adapt and succeed when they have the right tools and support. The EU is proud to support the Regreening Africa initiative, building on strong results achieved in the first phase, and to continue the partnership with World Vision, Catholic Relief Services, and Center for International Forestry Research”
For his part, Northern Regional Minister Hon. Ali Adolf John said: “it is important for me to note that Government sees re-greening not as a project, but as a strategic pathway for climate resilience, food security, social stability, and economic transformation. Therefore, I wish to pledge the support of the Northern Regional Coordinating Council to this project and to indicate our commitment to ensuring that the project succeeds.”
In her welcome address, World Vision Ghana's National Director, Dr. Tinah Mukunda indicated that, in Phase 1, over 5,452 households were reached and an estimated 5,117 hectares of land restored. She also emphasised the collective commitment of the consortium to advancing sustainable restoration, empowering women and youth, strengthening value chains, and improving livelihoods.
Speaking on behalf of the Country Representative, Francis Gumah, Head of Programming at CRS Ghana, lauded the power of partnerships, as a lever for success in Phase One: Sighting the establishment of the Northern Restoration Initiative, a multi-stakeholder platform for coordinated restoration planning and action across the Northern regions and its achievements as proof.
Phase II is implemented by a consortium led by CIFOR-ICRAF, together with World Vision, CRS, CARE, Sahel Eco, and Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF).
End
For media inquiries, please contact:
Abdul-Kudus Husein
Press and Information Officer
European Union in Ghana
Abdul-Kudus.HUSEIN@eeas.europa.eu
+233 (0) 20 188 9118
Richard Appoh
Project Manager
World Vision Ghana
+233243336900
Edward Akunyagra
Project Manager
Catholic Relief Services
+233206737042
Gloria Adeyiga
Project Focal Person
CIFOR-ICRAF
+233545560500
Notes to editors
Regreening Africa is a sub-regional initiative operating in Ghana, Somalia, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Mali, Senegal, and Niger, where it focuses on reducing land degradation, restoring landscapes, improving food and nutrition security, and enhancing community resilience to climate change. Funded by the European Union, the programme is implemented by CIFOR-ICRAF together with World Vision, CRS, CARE, Sahel Eco, and Agronomes and Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF).
Building on the results of Phase I, which ran from 2017 to 2023 and supported more than 600,000 households while restoring nearly one million hectares across eight African countries, Phase II promises to expand the programme’s reach and deepen its impact. Regreening involves restoring degraded landscapes through practices such as agroforestry, soil health improvement, Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), soil and water conservation, improved grazing management, and the use of high-quality seeds and seedlings. These practices enhance soil health and productivity, improve community well-being, and increase resilience to climate change impacts, making them essential to long-term climate adaptation.
The Phase II approach incorporates systems scaling to address the drivers of land degradation while promoting restoration through locally-led intervention hubs and broader behaviour change, policy reform, and value-chain investment. Restoration practices are tailored to reflect local ecological and social conditions, ensuring relevance and sustainability. The programme’s Research-in-Development model ensures that data and evidence guide all decisions, while strong community engagement, gender-responsive strategies, and youth inclusion promote equitable and lasting outcomes. Effective stakeholder engagement, through dialogues, policy advocacy, and Joint Reflection and Learning Missions ensures ongoing learning and improvement.
Regreening is critically important as Africa continues to experience severe land degradation, with an estimated 65 percent of productive land affected. This degradation undermines agricultural productivity, intensifies food insecurity, weakens livelihoods, and heightens vulnerability to climate extremes. Restoring degraded land enhances carbon capture, strengthens adaptive capacity, protects natural ecosystems, and supports sustained economic development.
Regreening Africa Phase II aligns strongly with regional and international restoration frameworks, including the AFR100 Initiative, the African Union Green Recovery Action Plan, and the Great Green Wall Initiative. Globally, the programme supports commitments under the Paris Agreement, the UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality targets, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, and the Bonn Challenge. Through these strategic alignments and collaborative efforts, the programme aims to contribute meaningfully to a more sustainable, climate-resilient future for Ghana and the wider Sahel.
