Transparency in the governance of landscape restoration finance: A case study of Ghana's Forest Plantation Development Fund

Abstract

Many global and national initiatives have evolved in recent year to finance plantation forestry as a means to restore degraded landscapes. However, little information is available in the academic literature on how these funds are governed to optimise their reach and application. Using Ghana's Forest Plantation Development Fund as a case study, this study bridges this knowledge gap and provides insights into how without insistence on transparency, accountability can be lacking on the way such funds are utilised. Data was collected from 103 plantation developers in five forest districts using semi-structured questionnaires and key informant interviews with other stakeholders, including administrators of the Fund. The study found that there were no mechanisms in place to address stakeholders' information needs about the Fund. This translated into low awareness and limited access to the fund by its intended beneficiaries as well as weak participation of stakeholders in the governance of the Fund, including stakeholders' capacity to demand accountability. Fund administrators were unwilling to disclose information to stakeholders which is reinforced by a lack of incentives to do so. The study recommends the implementation of a right to information legislation and an active press to demand accountability and ensure transparent use of the fund. The findings further highlight an opportunity for global discourse calling for landscape restoration investments in sub-Saharan Africa to be accompanied with governance reforms to address barriers that militate against the efficient use of climate mitigation investments. Keywords: Forest landscape restoration, Plantation development, Climate financing, Accountability, Transparency, Right to Information