Young people have been trained, and empowered to champion the forest sustainability discourse in society in a three-day capacity building workshop.
The three-day workshop which was held in Accra, from 5th to 7th November, 2025, is a concept dubbed “AIM4FOREST Young Forest Champions,” organised in partnership with the Forestry Commission of Ghana, Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations and the World Food Forum Ghana Chapter.
This initiative aims to strengthen the knowledge, leadership, and practical skills of participants who are known as “Young Forest Champions” to enable them design, implement, and advocate for community-based forest restoration and climate action initiatives in alignment with national and FAO frameworks for sustainable forest management.
According to the Facilitator of the Young Forest Champions initiative, Miss Eva Ntara, the youth plays a central role in driving sustainable forest management and addressing the climate crisis, and in Ghana, their involvement is essential for achieving long-term environmental sustainability and national restoration goals.
The workshop enabled participants to engage in round-table discussions and diving deeper into various topics and issues that spans through the environmental sustainability discourse. They also received practical field data collection training to be applied on field to measure efficiency and progress.
FAO Ghana Communications Officer, Mr. David Youngs inspired participants to be agents of change in forest preservation and growth, inspiring and taking central positions for action in the community. “The forest is our life so you are not just observing; you are leading change.” “You are the voice of AIM4FOREST” he added.
The AIM4FOREST Young Forest Champions team visited the Atiwa forest at Kibi in the Eastern Region of Ghana to plant trees and to put to test the knowledge they have received practically.
The Abuakwa South Forestry Commission District Manager, Mr. Alfred Owusu inspired the Young Forest Champions to take charge of the future of forest sustainability in Ghana by working hard to prepare them to be the next reliable managers to protect the country’s forest reserves.
The Assistant District Manager, Mr. Sylvester Agyemang Prempeh also lectured the Champions on activities involved in forest management and ways of addressing challenges such as illegal mining, illegal logging, illegal farming and others in forest reserves such as Atiwa forest.
