A new UNDP-supported project in the Savannah Region is tackling environmental degradation by offering sustainable alternative livelihoods to vulnerable communities.
It will directly support at least 100 people, mostly women working in smallholder farming, shea butter processing, petty trading, and small businesses.
By combining vocational training, business skills, and green technologies, the project addresses the root causes of poverty, social exclusion, and environmental degradation.
CSD Reform-LBG is leading the implementation in partnership with the UNDP under the project name “Promoting Rural Opportunities for the Vulnerable and Excluded (PROVE) for Sustainable Development in Lewuniyiri.”
The project targets environmentally harmful activities like charcoal production. By providing sustainable livelihood alternatives, it aims to protect local ecosystems while empowering women and youth.
The six-month initiative is taking place in Lewuniyiri, a community in the Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District of the Savannah Region. It is funded by Denmark, Luxembourg, and South Korea under the Governance, Rule of Law and Peacebuilding for Sustainable Development Flagship Programme.
Participants will gain practical training in soap making, dairy processing, and shea butter production. The initiative also provides essential courses in financial literacy and business management.
To promote cleaner cooking, women will be trained to construct and use energy-efficient cookstoves. This simple shift will help reduce local dependence on firewood and charcoal.
To boost local livelihoods, the project will supply a community tricycle to ease market transport and assist with emergency medical referrals. Beneficiaries will also receive a revolving livestock grant—supported by veterinary services—to help diversify household incomes.
Recognising the vital link between peace and development, the project will host inclusive dialogues to foster peaceful coexistence between the Fulbe and Brifor communities. In addition, a local Community Project Management Committee will oversee implementation and ensure accountability.
Ahead of the rollout, CSD Reform-LBG held extensive consultations in Lewuniyiri with local groups—including women, youth, persons with disabilities, traditional leaders, and members of the Fulbe community—to gather input and foster local ownership.
David Yiridong Issaka, Executive Director of CSD Reform-LBG, stated that these discussions aimed to strengthen partnerships and establish a shared understanding of everyone’s roles and responsibilities.
He noted that this would lay a solid foundation for collaborative action to improve livelihoods, strengthen social cohesion, promote stability, and support sustainable development in Lewuniyiri.
Project implementers stated that the initiative places communities at the centre of decision-making while promoting environmental sustainability, improving livelihoods, and fostering social cohesion in one of northern Ghana’s fragile border communities.
