The Wassa Amenfi Cocoa Landscape Initiative (WACLI), led by Preferred by Nature in collaboration with consortium partners Ferrero Group, Rikolto Ghana, Solidaridad West Africa and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), has organised a multi-stakeholder meeting to advance a shared vision for the sustainable development of the Wassa Amenfi landscape.

The meeting reviewed progress made in promoting inclusive dialogue and collective action through the Wassa Amenfi Landscape Multi-Stakeholder Platform in 2025 and identified priority initiatives to improve cocoa production, environmental management, forest protection, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods across the landscape.

Dr. Daniel Addo-Danso said the meeting was intended to revisit challenges identified during an earlier stakeholder engagement held in November, assess whether new issues had emerged, and prioritise the most pressing concerns affecting the landscape. He noted that discussions would focus on developing practical solutions and actions to address the identified challenges, with particular emphasis on declining cocoa production and persistent agricultural poverty.

Finally, we would develop short-, medium- and long-term strategies to address the identified challenges and establish indicators to track the implementation and the success of the proposed actions,” he said.

In a presentation delivered on behalf of the Municipal Chief Executive for Wassa Amenfi West, the Municipal Statistician, Mr. Clifford Quartey, said the objectives of the Multi-Stakeholder Platform align with the municipality’s development vision. He noted that, because of this alignment, the platform has been incorporated into the Municipal Assembly’s Medium-Term Development Plan for 2026–2030.

“The goals of the Wassa Amenfi Landscape Multi-Stakeholder Platform, established through the WACLI initiative, and the Municipal Assembly’s development agenda are well aligned. WACLI focuses on promoting the adoption of profitable climate-smart cocoa agroforestry, the provision of ecosystem services, diversification of on- and off-farm income sources, sustainable landscapes, good governance, reducing farmer poverty and shared accountability among stakeholders, among other key areas.

Similarly, the Municipal Assembly exists to promote the economic empowerment of people within the municipality, and this includes active involvement in climate-smart agriculture initiatives.

Going forward, the municipality aims to institutionalise the outcomes of the stakeholder engagement. This will ensure that the Municipal Assembly takes a leading role in implementing the issues discussed and agreed upon. It will also help establish clear action plans and systems that support residents of the municipality, so that the overall well-being and greater good of the people are achieved,” he said.

As part of the Wassa Amenfi Cocoa Landscape Initiative, multi-stakeholder engagement is used to bring together key actors within the cocoa landscape to strengthen collaboration, share knowledge and address systemic challenges affecting cocoa production and sustainable land management.

WACLI is funded by the Danida Green Business Partnerships of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The initiative seeks to address deforestation and poverty associated with cocoa production through the implementation of a responsible sourcing model that provides tailored solutions to cocoa-growing communities, supported by research and multi-stakeholder collaboration.

Nana Yepah, Secretary of the Akyekyere Stool Lands, highlighted the importance of stakeholder engagement in addressing community challenges.

“This meeting gives everyone a chance to sit together and share their views on the problems in our communities. If there are no people and no land, then we as chiefs have nothing to lead.

It also helps by putting people into groups based on their areas of knowledge so that discussions can be more focused. After that, we come back together to share what each group has discussed. Even for us as chiefs, this is a good opportunity to learn more about things like finance and agroforestry, in addition to what we already know about leadership and governance,” he said.

Participants were divided into three working groups, governance, finance and technical, to identify key challenges and propose solutions and actions within their respective thematic areas.

The project aims to improve cocoa agroforestry systems, protect the environment and create sustainable income opportunities for farmers through both on-farm and off-farm livelihood activities.

The meeting brought together representatives from the project consortium and key stakeholders, including the Wassa Amenfi Municipal Assembly, government agencies, private sector actors, non-governmental and community-based organisations, local communities, the media, traditional authorities, farmer cooperatives and women’s groups.