Research Team : Dr. Elizabeth Asantewaa Obeng, Dr. Richard Fischer, Dr. Patrick Byakagaba, Dr. Jewel Andoh, Dr. Antonny Tugaineyo, Dr. Kwame Antwi Oduro

Donor: Food and Agriculture Organization of the united Nations

Collaborating Institution(s): Thunen institute, Germany and Makarere University, Uganda.

Status: On-going

Through the UN-REDD Programme, FAO is supporting the Ghana Forestry Commission in assessing policy coherence and conducting a public expenditure review within Ghana’s forestry and land-use sectors. While the public expenditure review has been ongoing, the current phase aims to strengthen its linkage with sectoral policies by analyzing policy coherence. Thereby, to support identify synergistic public investment opportunities that support sustainable land use and the transformation of agrifood systems.
The Forest Policy Coherence and Public Expenditure Analysis (ForCE) initiative was commenced to have a more in-depth analysis on national policy instruments and stakeholder engagement. It is implemented through a partnership with FORIG, Thunen institute, and Makarere University. ForCE aims to develop a robust analytical framework to evaluate the coherence of sectoral policies and policy instruments in the land-use sector in countries working to combat deforestation and forest degradation while maintaining forest cover. The framework also considers the role of forest landscapes in supporting the development of sustainable and viable livelihoods, as well as balancing forest conservation with agricultural production.
The analytical framework builds on a systematic review of existing policies and policy instruments, including their objectives and how they interact. It incorporates Forestry Public Expenditure Reviews (PERs) to examine how public resources are currently used strategically and how public investment and financial innovation could be optimized in the future. In addition, the project seeks to provide a foundation for analyzing stakeholder perceptions and needs in relation to national policy objectives.

Objectives:

1. To develop and pilot an analytical framework to identify policy coherence among sectoral policies and consistency of policy instruments for maintaining forest cover, and analyze policy coherence of existing land use policies.
2. To analyze and identify the role of Public Expenditure Reviews (PERs) in policy coherence analysis to inform policies and investments around sustainable forest management and halting deforestation and forest degradation.