Proforest Africa secures funding from companies to strengthen its forest protection and sustainable cocoa programme in Asunafo-Asutifi landscape

The private sector continues to play a pivotal role in advancing sustainable cocoa production in Ghana’s Asunafo-Asutifi region. Proforest’ Production Landscape Programme, which began with strong industry collaboration in 2020, is now entering a new phase of expansion.

In 2020, eight companies including Mondelēz International partnered with the UK development agency to fund a baseline socio-economic and ecological study. This effort laid the groundwork for transforming the Hotspot Intervention Area (HIA) into a functional landscape with a comprehensive management plan.

Today, three global giants across the cocoa value chain_ Mondelēz International, Barry Callebaut, and Sainsbury’s_ have joined forces with existing donors such as the Walmart Foundation to scale up interventions in the Asunafo-Asutifi landscape over the next three years.

“This funding marks a significant step toward achieving a deforestation-free and climate-resilient cocoa landscape in Asunafo-Asutifi,” said Augustus Asamoah, Principal Project Manager at Proforest Africa.

By working collaboratively with local communities, the Forestry Commission, and private sector partners, we aim to strengthen governance systems, restore degraded areas, and empower farmers with the knowledge and tools they need to comply with global sustainability standards.

The programme aims to strengthen landscape governance to promote both social and environmental sustainability while tackling deforestation in on- and off-reserve areas. It will focus on restoring and effectively managing degraded forest reserves, increasing tree cover on cocoa farms, and enhancing farmers’ knowledge of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) compliance requirements.

To achieve its objectives of reducing deforestation and improving landscape governance, the Asunafo-Asutifi landscape programme will implement the following core activities:

• Rehabilitate priority forest fringe areas using dynamic agroforestry techniques to reduce fire risks and restore degraded zones.
• Train and equip forest guards with essential tools such as GPS devices, raincoats, and boots to strengthen patrols and coordinate fire volunteer squads.
• Support the Forestry Commission in establishing a platform for detecting and reporting infractions within forest reserves for improved enforcement.
• Develop and implement monitoring protocols for on-farm tree planting to ensure maximum impact and sustainability.
• Procure and distribute seedlings for restoration of major riparian zones across the landscape.

Funding partners highlighted the critical role of collaboration in tackling landscape-level challenges and driving sustainable cocoa production in the Asunafo-Asutifi region.

“As part of Cocoa Life, we believe in the importance of sector-wide collaboration to help protect forests at scale. We believe this partnership will help bring more positive impact to the Asunafo-Asutifi forests in Ghana. As we focus on forest protection and restoration, we welcome more interested companies and investors to help fund other challenges such as cocoa productivity in the area,” said Jephthah Mensah, Country Lead; Mondelēz Cocoa Life Ghana.  

“This partnership demonstrates our commitment to our Forever Chocolate Strategy and specifically to our Forest Positive Objective. Our contribution to the Asunafo-Asutifi landscape programme aims to reduce deforestation, protect forests and biodiversity in a key cocoa-producing landscape,” said Juliette Cody, Director; Global Sustainability Programme, Barry Callebaut.

"We are thrilled to join forces with others in the chocolate industry to invest in a key cocoa production landscape. This represents a significant step in demonstrating how supply chain collaboration can support forest fringe communities to protect and restore forests. By working together with our suppliers and local technical experts, we are fostering industry-wide efforts to create a resilient future for cocoa producers and the environment," said Paige Hunt, Sustainability Manager - Responsible Sourcing, Sainsbury’s Supermarkets.

The Asunafo-Asutifi landscape programme is part of a broader vision to transform cocoa-forest landscapes into climate-resilient, economically vibrant ecosystems. Proforest Africa remains committed to working with government agencies, private sector partners, and local communities to scale integrated landscape governance models across Ghana and beyond.