rspo africa roadshow-ghana

RSPO Africa Roadshow-Ghana

Report on capacity building and awareness-raising events in Ghana

May 2012

RSPO Africa Roadshow: Report on country events, Ghana

2

About The RSPO Africa Roadshow

The The RSPO Africa Roadshow is an initiative aimed at raising awareness about sustainability in the oil palm industry and creating an enabling environment for the uptake and implementation of sustainability requirements in the production, trade and use of palm oil. This is delivered through:

• Awareness raising and capacity building events in the region

• Facilitating the development of support tools such as HCV National interpretations

• Promoting the development of workable and sustainable smallholder schemes in the region (working together with SHARP)’

The programme is coordinated by The Proforest Initiative working together with a number of partners including the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, Conservation International, Solidaridad/West Arica Fair Fruits, WWF, The HCV Resource Network, GIZ and ZSL, with funding support from the Biodiversity and Agricultural Commodities Programme, Unilever and Olam International.

For this report, your contact person is: Isaac Abban-Mensah [email protected]

The Proforest Initiative South Suite, Frewin Chambers, Frewin Court, Oxford OX1 3HZ United Kingdom E: [email protected] T: +44 (0) 1865 243439

The Proforest Initiative is a registered charity in England and Wales (no. 1137523) and a company registered in England and Wales (no. 07293440)

mailto:[email protected]



3

Table of contents 1 Introduction .............................................................................. 4

2 Activities ................................................................................... 4

2.1 Consultations with key stakeholders ........................................................ 4

2.2 Training and capacity building workshops ................................................ 8

2.3 Multi-stakeholder workshop/Dialogue platform .................................... 13

3 Programme evaluation ............................................................ 16

4 Conclusions and next steps ...................................................... 18

4.1 Activity evaluations ................................................................................. 18

4.2 Next steps ................................................................................................ 19

5 List of participants ................................................................... 20

6 Programme for RSPO Africa Roadshow.................................... 23


4

1 Introduction The RSPO Africa Roadshow aims at promoting the uptake of sustainability requirements in the palm oil industry in West and Central Africa. The first phase of the programme consists of awareness raising and a series of training and capacity building events for relevant stakeholder groups in three selected countries in the region- Ghana, Gabon and Liberia. This will be subsequently scaled up to other countries in the region. The target groups for the programme include government institutions charged with overseeing land-use planning activities, development and investment in the agricultural sector; civil society organisations working on sustainable development, poverty reduction, human rights and nature conservation; and private and public sector actors with interest in investments in the oil palm plantation industry.

The RSPO Africa Roadshow was kick-started in Accra, Ghana in May, 2012, followed by the first country event in Ghana. The two-day inception meeting was organised with participation from various partners to finalise the roadmap for delivering the programme in the countries for the first phase of the project, discuss the training modules to be covered in the countries and also to explore potential for scale-up to other countries. This was followed with the planned Roadshow activities for Ghana.

This report presents an overview of activities conducted to promote sustainable palm oil and the RSPO in Ghana, as well as the feedback obtained from stakeholders in the country.

2 Activities The RSPO Roadshow in Ghana involved three key activities:

• Training and capacity building workshops for relevant actors in the palm oil industry

• A multi-stakeholder workshop on challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainability requirements in Ghana

• Awareness raising, consultations and one-on-one meetings with key stakeholders

The Roadshow activities in Ghana were implemented by Solidaridad Ghana/West Africa Fair Fruits (WAFF) working together with the Anglophone Delivery team for the RSPO Roadshow. The Delivery team was made up of staff from Proforest who have extensive experience on RSPO, HCV and FPIC in the region and in South-East Asia. This was complemented by WAFF’S unique experience working with smallholders in the oil palm sector in West Africa. Details of the activities carried out in the country are described below.

2.1 Consultations with key stakeholders Prior to holding the training and capacity building workshops in Accra, the team met and consulted with senior officials in relevant government institutions. The aims of these consultations were to:

i) Present the programme and the key concepts being promoted (RSPO, HCV and FPIC) to the stakeholders


5

ii) Obtain an understanding of current government strategies related to the oil palm sector, land use planning, conservation management and economic development

iii) Get information on areas where capacity building is most needed and also explore possible avenues for collaborations.

The meetings were also used to present WAFF’s new programme, the Sustainable West Africa Palm-Oil Programme (SWAPP) to key government officials. SWAPP is a four year programme aimed at improving incomes and livelihoods through increased productivity and mill efficiencies, whilst also promoting the use of best practices (including the RSPO) across the production and supply chains of palm oil in the region.

The consultation process provided the opportunity for the RSPO Roadshow delivery team to get a better understanding of the government’s current policies and strategies on oil palm thereby enriching the training workshop discussions. The initial consultations also allow the team to update government officials and policymakers on RSPO requirements and to elicit their opinion on what they consider as challenges for sustainable palm oil production in Ghana.

2.1.1 Meeting with the REDD+ Unit, Forestry Commission The team met with the REDD+ Unit of the Forestry Commission on the 8th of May, 2012. Present at the meeting were the Head of the Climate Change Unit, Robert K. Bamfo and the Assistant Manager of REDD+, Mr Sulemana Adamu.

Objective of the meeting: To present the RSPO, the Roadshow and SWAPP and to identify possible areas of collaboration

Key issues discussed are outlined below:

• An overview of the country’s REDD+ programme was presented with emphasis on projects such as the rehabilitation of cacao farms, agricultural intensification and programmes in place to conserve carbon stocks. The agricultural intensification programme under the REDD+ programme aims to address conversion of forest frontiers into plantations and for agricultural commodities production. Conversion of forestlands to plantations is compounded by the lack of land-use plan in Ghana. Whiles Ghana is currently in the process of developing a national land-use plan, the consultees believed that the RSPO sustainability if adopted and implemented could help reduce forest conversion whiles at the same time protecting existing natural vegetations within agricultural landscapes.

• Discussions on the wide range of use of the HCV concept and how the approach can serve as a tool for promoting the conservation of social and environmental values within both forests and agricultural landscapes.

• The REDD+ programme in Ghana is also working to promote intensification and agroforestry to help conserve carbon stocks. A key component of this will be working with producers of agricultural commodities to also conserve forestry resources outside of the designated national parks in the country.

• In Ghana, oil palm does not fall under the Commission’s REDD program. It could however fall under the Clean Development Mechanism, if oil palm development focuses on degraded lands to help upgrade the carbon status of those non-forest


6

lands. To ensure that key social and environmental values are protected in this process, there is the need to have safeguards and a reference point for implementing international best practices. The RSPO could serve as a reference point that could be adopted for this.

Other discussion points:

Potential for lesson learning and experience sharing with the REDD+ Unit methodology for carbon measurement which is currently being developed. The Unit would be attending the RSPO Roadshow workshop to learn more about the RSPO and how the process could contribute to REDD+ objectives in Ghana.

2.1.2 Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources The team met and consulted with the Chief Director at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources on the 8th of May, 2012. In attendance from the Ministry were Prof. Bruce Banoeng-Yakubo, (Chief Director), Mrs. Mahama Minyira, (Director of Administration) and Mr Joseph Osiakwan (Policy and Planning Officer).

Objective of the meeting: To present the RSPO Roadshow and SWAPP and to identify possible areas of collaboration.

Other issues discussed during the consultation revolved around the following:

• The conversion of forestlands into oil palm plantation with the influx of oil palm investors to Africa and the need to protect our existing forests through the use of sustainability requirements such as the RSPO. The HCV assessment as a requirement for new plantings under the RSPO NPP

• The RSPO Principles and Criteria could be used as a tool for avoiding the remnant forestlands from being converted into plantations. Social (labour, FPIC) Economic (productivity, fair prices, smallholder relationships, etc.) and Environmental (HCV assessment) as in the RSPO Standard were also discussed.

• The Ministry acknowledged the importance of the policy makers to understand international standards and requirements related to land acquisition and natural resource management. To be able to study the requirements of the HCV concept in more detail, the Chief Director requested for copies of the Global HCV Toolkits and other associated guidance documents. These would allow the Ministry to get up-to-date with the requirements for possible consideration in future policy development

• The ministry believes that SWAPP and the RSPO are very good initiatives that must be supported, and that there should be a sustained effort to educate policy makers on issues related to protecting Ghana’s existing forests resources.

Areas of collaboration

The ministry would study the brief on SWAPP and the RSPO documents and follow up with ideas for possible collaborations. A national Land-use Policy is being developed and that there will be consultations to solicit stakeholders’ inputs into the policy. The trainings and capacity building on the RSPO, HCV and FPIC are timely and would help inform stakeholder inputs into this policy.


7

2.1.3 President’s Special Initiative on Oil Palm (Ministry of Trade and Industry)

On the 15th of May, 2012, the team met with the coordinator of Ghana’s Presidential Special Initiative (PSI) on Palm Oil and the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Objective of the meeting: To present the RSPO Roadshow and SWAPP and to identify possible areas of collaboration

Other key discussions during the meeting revolved around:

• The progress made so far by the PSI on Oil Palm in the country. It was mentioned that up to 30,000ha of oil palm has been established by since the programme started. New plantings had been halted in 2010, due to lack of funds. The programme was also constrained by unavailability of mills to process FFBs produced by the farmers.

• It was mentioned that a private entity, which is a major player in the global palm oil sector had expressed interest to take over the management of the existing plantations. The exact nature of the proposed take-over was yet to be discussed. The team explained the requirements for new plantings and certification under RSPO for large organisations which are members of the RSPO, and the fact that all their new acquisitions would have to comply with the RSPO’s P&C within three years of acquiring those new plantations. It was thus discussed that it would be useful for some baseline review of the performance of the PSI oil palm plantations against the requirements of the RSPO to be conducted. This could help inform investors on current gaps and also inform the unit on the social and environmental performance of their plantations.

• It was also discussed that the Japanese International Cooperative Agency in Ghana had begun implementing a programme to help build capacity of producers to ensure increased productivity and improve mill efficiency in the Ashanti Region. The objectives of this programme are similar to those of the Roadshow and SWAPP, and the two programmes could complement each other and also share information and lessons. The unit would help put SWAPP in touch with the JICA project to facilitate interaction and experience sharing.

Areas for collaboration:

• The broad aims of the SWAPP programme at helping improve livelihoods through increasing productivity and improved mill efficiency fits in well with the government’s vision and industrial promotion plan. It is crucial that the establishment and management of plantations meet globally acceptable standards of best practice, and that the unit would look into the briefing materials on the RSPO, HCVs and FPIC and advise future strategic directions for the PSI. The platform for information-sharing being introduced by SWAPP and the Roadshow would also benefit a wide range of stakeholders, particularly local investors, civil society and the government’s agencies.

2.1.4 Crops Services Department, Ministry of Agriculture The team met with Mr Asante Krobeah, who is the Director at the Crop Services Department of the Ministry of Agriculture on the 17th of May, 2012. The objective of the meeting was to present the Roadshow and SWAPP programme, discuss some issues that had come out from the training workshops and also explore possible areas of


8

collaboration. The meeting was also attended by Mr George Osei Opoku of the Department, who had also represented the Director at the Roadshow training workshops, and fed back some of the discussion points to the department.

Key issues discussed during the meeting included:

• The ministry has recently completed an initial version of the Oil Palm Development Master Plan for the country. This document would outline the government’s strategy for the oil palm sector. An abridged version of the document was being prepared and would be circulated to stakeholders. The content of the master plan could not be discussed during this meeting as it was yet to receive the final approval from the ministry.

• Given the ministry’s participation in the RSPO Roadshow workshops and the available resource, their subsequent discussions on oil palm programmes would also be guided by this knowledge on the desired social and environmental performance.

• Several pieces of work have been done in the region researching on various aspects of the oil palm production and processing industry. However, there is no centralised point of information. SWAPP could thus help serve as a platform for storing information and assessing technical expertise to help implement good practice on the ground.

• Though the specific areas of collaboration from the Ministry’s point of view couldn’t be discussed further, there is always the need to raise awareness and build the capacity of various actors to ensure a more efficient production. This had been started with the Roadshow and SWAPP, and there would be potential synergies and points for collaborations once the final version of the master-plan is ready for sharing with stakeholders.

2.2 Training and capacity building workshops The second key component of the RSPO Africa Roadshow events in Ghana was the training and capacity building workshops for key stakeholders in the oil palm sector in Ghana. On the 14th and 15th of May, 2012, training workshops were organised at the Centre for Africa Wetlands, University of Ghana. The two day workshop was designed to introduce participants to sustainable palm oil and associated concepts such as Free Prior and Informed Consent and High Conservation Values. See section 6 for the programme. These workshops were attended by stakeholders from industry, government and civil society organisations, including social and environmental NGOs.

2.2.1 Training workshop-Day 1: Day 1 of the training workshop was designed to introduce participants to the concept of sustainable palm oil, the RSPO, its Principles and Criteria (P&C) and certification processes. The training and subsequent discussions also focused on how the RSPO could be used to address the social and environmental concerns of palm oil production in Ghana. The workshop consisted of a combination of PowerPoint presentations, Group Activities and Plenary Discussions.


9

2.2.1.1 Attendance There were 24 participants for Day 1 of the workshop. These included participants from all the major oil palm plantation companies in Ghana;

• Ghana Oil Palm Plantation Development Company (GOPDC),

• Wilmar/Benso Oil Palm Plantations (BOPP),

• Twifo Oil Palm Plantations Limited (TOPP),

• Norpalm Ghana Limited (NGL),

• Sithe Global Sustainable Oil Company/Herakles, and

• Golden Star Oil.

Government institutions present included the Ministry of Food and Agriculture/ Crops Services Department and the REDD and Climate Change Unit of the Forestry Commission.

Other civil society organisations present included the Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS), WWF, Conservation Alliance (CA), Nature Conservation Research Centre (NCRC), Forest Trends, and GIZ.

2.2.1.2 Modules Four separate modules were presented during the day:

• Module 1: An introduction to the concept of sustainability in the agricultural commodities sector and the use of certification as a tool to promote sustainability. This module explored the definitions of sustainability in the agricultural commodities sector and some of the underlying issues serving as drivers for sustainable production of agricultural commodities. The module also discussed how certification has been used as a tool for promoting best-practices, the key components of certification and the operations of certification systems.

• Module 2: An introduction to the RSPO, its aims and goals, memberships and governance structure, decision making process, and its evolution over the years. The module also presented some updates on some current developments with the RSPO, its growing acceptance and demand in the global marketplace and how RSPO is positioned with respect to other evolving global sustainability requirements.

o Discussions raised centred mainly on the incentives and possible social and environmental benefits of obtaining RSPO certification and price premiums.

• Module 3: The RSPO Standard. This module introduced participants to the RSPO principles and Criteria with a special emphasis on the New Plantings Procedure, Ghana’s National Interpretation of the RSPO P&C and how growers and millers could demonstrate compliance in practice. Key discussions centred on how companies can implement these requirements, how the legal and regulatory environment in the country could promote a more rapid uptake of the requirements and some challenges the companies face in demonstrating compliance.

o One issue that came up for follow-up during this session was the need to have a detailed step-by-step guidance (or checklist) on requirements that need to be in place for companies to meet certification requirements under the RSPO. The group however appreciated the fact that situations in plantations may differ and hence such a checklist would not necessarily be

Session of participants present


10

able to provide detailed instructions on all the minor details. However, it could serve as a user-friendly starting point for companies on the path to certification.

• Module 4: The RSPO certification processes and systems including requirements for third party auditing, accreditation, RSPO requirements for certification of large organisations and their subsidiaries, grievance resolution mechanisms and national interpretation processes. The module focussed on how the RSPO’s certification systems work in practice and the existing checks that help ensure a robust and consistent application of the requirements.

o Major discussion points centred around certification for large organisations, grievance resolutions and access to, and availability of RSPO approved certification bodies within the region. There is the need to encourage and support local organisations to be able to carry out RSPO certification. Increased accessibility to organisations with RSPO experience (+ affordability) in the region would facilitate the uptake of the RSPO.

2.2.1.3 Group activities and plenary discussions: The presentations were complemented by group activities and presentations in plenary.

• Activity 1.1: This activity was designed to get participants to identify some key sustainability issues with a named case study of their choice, identify steps being taken to address those issues (and organisations involved) and also to brainstorm on other key actions that could be implemented to help resolve those challenges.

o Discussion points from this activity mainly centred around tenure and conflicts, land availability, food security and the need to have a national land use plan and clearly designated areas where expansion of agricultural commodities may take place.

• Activity 1.2: This was a group activity aimed at getting participants to appreciate the wide usage of palm products in products, and also explore how labelling and certification claims are used on the shelf.

o Key discussion points centred around tracing derivatives on labels to their original sources/products.

• Activity 1.3: Plenary activity on examples of bad environmental practices in plantations and mills, with participants brainstorming on how those bad practices could be rectified /corrected.

o Discussions show that majority of the companies present are already implementing some of the requirements on their nucleus estates. However, there are major challenges in enforcing good practice on smallholder plots

• Activity 1.4: Plenary activity on identifying labour issues in a video documentary and how these might be addressed under the RSPO.

o The video presented some examples of extreme forms of unacceptable labour practices. The group also indicated that some of those practices could still be present in some of their plantations and the need to put in place progressive steps to address them, particularly with regards to pay conditions for contract workers.

Group activity during training workshops


11

2.2.2 Training workshop - Day 2 Day 2 of the workshops focussed on the issue of smallholders under the RSPO, High Conservation Values and the concept of Free Prior and Informed Consent.

Attendance: In all, there were 24 participants for Day 1 of the workshop. These included participants from all the major oil palm plantation companies in Ghana who had also been present on Day 1.

Government institutions present included the Ministry of Food and Agriculture/ Crops Services Department and the REDD and Climate Change Unit of the Forestry Commission.

Other civil society organisations present included the Ghana Wildlife Society (GWS), WWF, Conservation Alliance (CA), Nature Conservation Research Centre (NCRC), Forest Trends, GIZ, IUCN, Forest Watch/Civic Response.

2.2.2.1 Modules Three modules were presented on the day

• Module 1: Smallholders and oil palm, challenges faced and certification under the RSPO. This interactive module aimed at exploring some of the day to day challenges faced by smallholders, certification requirements for smallholders associated with nucleus estates and certification for independent smallholders under the RSPO.

o Key discussions centred on the lack of guidance for the certification of scheme smallholders. Need to have simple manuals and support documents on certification for various smallholder models under the RSPO.



12

• Module 2: An introduction to the concept of Free Prior and Informed Consent, its application under the RSPO and how companies can demonstrate compliance with FPIC requirements in practice. This module yielded useful discussions on the issue of FPIC within the context of Ghana, given that for many large scale projects, governments may have acquired lands from traditional leaders and subsequently handed down to growers. Local communities may thus not necessarily have the right to object to such projects, even though a good community engagement programme would help to identify and agree on acceptable compensations and solutions.

o The group iterated the need to include a description of the peculiar case of Ghana in the RSPO NI document for the country and more information on what may be considered as an adequate FPIC process in the country given the unique nature of land tenure.

• Module 3: Introduction to the HCV concept, the Ghana national interpretation of the six HCVs and the management and monitoring of High Conservation Values. The module looked at practical approach towards identifying, managing and monitoring HCVs within an oil palm plantation and also within the context of new plantings.

o Discussions mainly centred on how existing plantations can identify HCVs within their concessions or in the broader landscape, how threats can be minimised and those HCVs enhanced or maintained. The group also discussed the issue of compensating for socio-cultural HCVs if deemed appropriate by local communities and how compensations and offsets cannot work in the case of biological and ecological HCVs.

2.2.2.2 Group activities and plenary discussions- Day 2: Three activities were conducted during the day.

Activity 2.1: Group activity on identifying challenges that smallholders face and how these may be addressed.

Activity 2.2: Plenary activity on case studies involving FPIC. Discussions centred on whether FPIC may or may not have been obtained in those situations, and whether such situations might be acceptable given the RSPO P&C.

Activity 2.3: Group activity on case studies involving HCV identification, management and monitoring. Activity aimed also aimed to help participants assess the adequacy of recommendations for management.


13

2.3 Multi-stakeholder workshop/Dialogue platform A multi-stakeholder workshop was held on the 16th of May to discuss the key challenges and opportunities for implementing sustainability requirements in the country and the way forward. The discussions were centred around three key themes:

1. The benefits of sustainable production of palm oil and RSPO certification to various stakeholder groups

2. Key challenges to implementing sustainability requirements in the country and

3. Needed actions and interventions to facilitate the uptake and implementation of sustainability requirements

Some of the key points that were discussed by participants during the session are presented below:

2.3.1 Benefits as discussed by participants: • Reduction of negative environmental impacts of production on nearby local

communities

• Contribution to the protection of biodiversity and in particular rare, threatened and endangered species

• Meeting sustainability requirements would also imply that natural vegetations would be protected and hence the roles of these vegetations in microclimate moderation (such as protection against windthrows, spread of wildfires, destructive erosions and terrain instability.

• Social benefits for local communities and cultures and traditions through the respect of labour laws, community norms, sacred areas and taboos.



14

• Social benefits for the company in through the avoidance of conflicts, giving the company operational peace for sustained uninterrupted production

• Proper implementation of FPIC helps to strengthen local values and traditional governance systems

• RSPO could give a competitive edge to producers of palm oil, an enhanced position to access funding from investments organisations and business continuity.

• The RSPO also presents an opportunity to promote better enforcement of laws

• Enhancement of consumer confidence in the final products

• Adhering to operational best-practices could also contribute to reducing operational costs.

2.3.2 Current constraints against sustainability/certification In spite of the numerous benefits of implementing sustainability requirements, the group also indicated that there were a number of hindrances against the rapid adoption and implementation of global best-practices and sustainability requirements. Some key points discussed are listed below:

• Lack of local capacity to support the process towards implementing the requirements. Companies are working to meet these requirements but there are not many local organisations or individuals with the specialist knowledge on palm oil certification to provide the much needed technical support in country.

Group discussions on the way forward for sustainable palm oil in Ghana


15

• There is an information gap and not much readily available user friendly guidelines for meeting sustainability requirements. This is particular important in the case of smallholders.

• Challenges with FPIC in Ghana- It may not be possible to do a full FPIC in the country due to the nature of land tenure and the role of government and chiefs in land acquisition process. Companies would thus have to continuously engage with communities to obtain on-going consent for business continuity.

• Redundant laws and unenforced regulations. These present a challenge to some growers in terms of meeting the legal requirements of the country. Additionally, there is a lack of legal and policy guidance on meeting global best practices.

• Market driven initiatives would generally work better in promoting change. However, there is very little demand from local markets for sustainably produced palm oil. Given that most of the palm oil produced is consumed locally, there is little market pull to encourage sustainability.

• Difficulty in working with smallholders to meet certifiable levels.

• Upfront costs of implementing changes can be a disincentive, particularly if there are no direct short-term economic benefits to compensate for changes made.

2.3.3 Needed interventions/actions • Need to build local capacity to support the implementation of sustainability

requirements. Need to have RSPO approved auditors and HCV assessors in the country to provide technical advice and support to growers

Presentations from group work


16

• Growers to collaborate with civil society organisations and government to deliver some of the social and environmental considerations-particularly in terms of community engagement, conservation of biodiversity and in implementing laws.

• Need to develop user friendly guidance on implementing sustainability requirements in practice, particularly in relation to the issue of smallholders.

• Given the potential of the palm oil industry in the country to expand, there is the need to have a national land-use plan that will clearly map areas that may be developed for agricultural commodities. It is also essential to have areas set aside for the production of staple foods.

3 Programme evaluation A total of 16 organisations attended the training workshops. These included 6 oil palm growers; 2 government institutions and 8 non-governmental organisations & development partners. Twenty-six programme evaluation forms were distributed to the participants. Eighteen forms were completed and returned. The sections below give an overview of the feedback obtained.

How do you rate the content of the training on:

Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor

The RSPO Standard and certification process 44% 50% 6%

-

Free Prior and Informed Consent 44% 38% 19% -

Smallholders and RSPO certification 44% 44% 12% -

High Conservation Values 50% 50% - -

Comments on how they can be improved: • There were a lot of illustrations which was helpful. • Very helpful and informative • Future trainings should have much more time to allow for more detailed

discussions. • Most of the examples were from outside of Ghana. Subsequent trainings should

present examples within the context of Ghana

How do you rate the briefing notes in terms of:

Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor

Content 56% 44% - -

How information is presented 50% 50% - -

Design and layout 44% 56% - -

Comments on how they can be improved: • Very helpful and informative


17

• Simple and easy to read

How do you rate: Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor

The quality of the presentations and activities in this training? 50% 50% -

-

Comments on how they can be improved: • Very good presentations. • Activities were good and interactive. • There should be more ‘hands-on’ sessions • The programme was quite packed and demanding on participants

Trainers response to questions: 44% 56% - -

Were there any additional topics that should have been included in this training? • Community engagement and the RSPO • Need to organize additional sessions for farmers associations and group leaders • Future trainings should include site visits

Please rate your overall satisfaction with the course: 50% 50% -

Any additional comments on the training session: • The process of RSPO certification and how organisations can be certified was

made clear. • Being fairly new to the RSPO, the workshop was very educative and effective in

bringing me up to speed on the process and other key issues. • Very informative

Please rate: Excellent Good Satisfactory Poor

Training facilities, logistics and organization: 44% 50% 6%

-

Comments on how they can be improved: • There should be plastic bags/folders or files for training materials

Food provided at lunchtime during the training 50% 50% -

-

Invitation process 44% 56% - -

Venue/conference room 44% 56% - -

Comments on how they can be improved: • The conference room was small • Seating arrangements did not allow for easy movement during the workshops


18

Please rate: Very beneficial Useful Not at all useful

Overall benefit of the training workshops to you 83.3% 16.7% -

Comments: • I look forward to another training of this kind • Future trainings should be more extensive and should include field visits

4 Conclusions and next steps As an initial programme to create awareness and build capacity on sustainable palm oil and the RSPO, the Roadshow event managed within the time constraints to reach all the major key stakeholder groups, and present a detailed overview of all the key concepts and updates on the RSPO. Feedback obtained from participants in the training workshops and dialogue platforms indicate that though the trainings have been very successful in raising awareness, there is still the need for:

• A more in-depth and on-the-ground training on how companies will be able to meet the requirements in practice. This training would probably involve field visits and numerous examples of good practice and challenging situations.

• Specialist trainings to help build an initial cadre of RSPO, HCV and FPIC experts in the country. These could serve as trainers to support the industry in the country and help retain knowledge and expertise within the country.

• Detailed guidelines on the step-by-step approach towards obtaining certification for both estates and smallholders.

4.1 Activity evaluations

4.1.1 Stakeholder consultations The stakeholder consultations served as a key component of the programme helping to obtain high-level government reach and buy-in for the programme and for the RSPO. For Ghana, the stakeholder consultations focussed only on government institutions, given that all the other stakeholder groups were duly represented at the training workshops.

There were also some constraints with this activity. The limited time period for these stakeholder meetings implies that only the key themes and principles of the RSPO could be presented during those meetings. Additionally, given the limited duration of the Roadshow events in each country and coupled with the fact that there are concurrent training events, there was a limited time-frame to arrange for and meet with all the relevant officials in government. That notwithstanding, a good representation from the key ministries were consulted.

4.1.2 Training workshops These have been effective for delivering a more detailed introduction of the key concepts. These events were highly patronised by all the major oil palm growers as well as the key


19

civil society groups. In Ghana, there is yet to be a major involvement of civil society in the discussions on sustainable oil palm, beyond the limited involvement in the development of the country’s RSPO National Interpretation document. The Raodshow has thus served as catalyst to re-engage the involvement of key social and environmental NGOs in the oil palm industry. Most of these organisations have several years of experience working with certification in the cacao sector in the country, and could transfer their experience from that sector into the oil palm industry.

4.1.3 Briefing notes The briefing notes were considered as being extremely helpful by participants at the workshops and key stakeholders consulted. The programme made provisions for extra copies of the briefing notes to be made available to various companies, civil society organisations and government agencies for onward dissemination.

It was also requested that similar briefing notes be made for companies on the step-by-step processes that they need to follow to meet certification, ensure that they are adequately engaging with local communities, etc.

4.2 Next steps This phase of the RSPO Roadshow in Ghana under BACP support ends with this weeklong programme. This will be replicated in Gabon and Liberia. Feedback obtained from industries in Ghana indicates that a number of companies are beginning preparatory work to undergo RSPO certification, and would need technical support. As one of the key approaches of the Roadshow is to work with and complement local processes, it is anticipated that the momentum initiated from the Roadshow would be sustained, particularly with the initiation of the SWAPP programme in the country.

In response to requests for specialist trainings for RSPO auditors and HCV assessors, the Roadshow and SWAPP have agreed in principle to work with other key partners to explore the possibility of hosting an RSPO Assessor Training Course and HCV Specialist Trainings in the country within the short to medium term. The two programmes would also explore the possibility of working with growers in the country to develop user-friendly guidance on implementing sustainability requirements in practice.

The week-long consultation and training were well received and contributed in raising the profile and understanding of RSPO requirements in Ghana in key government ministries and with NGOs. It is therefore recommended that opportunities are explored for expansion of the programme to other countries such as Nigeria and the Congo Basin countries where oil palm expansion is increasingly becoming a major land-use activity.


20

5 List of participants Training workshop Day 1: 14th May, 2012

Number Name Organisation

1 Japhet S.T. Roberts Ghana Wildlife Society

2 Glen Asomaning WWF- West African Programme Office

3 Vincent Awotwe Pratt Conservation Alliance

4 Sulemana Adamu Forestry Commission of Ghana

5 Ebenezer Arthur Benso Oil Palm Plantations

6 Arthur Jnr Joseph TOPP

7 Kwame Acheampong TOPP

8 David Nunoo TOPP

9 Emmanuel A Boadi TOPP

10 Uwe Ohmstedt GIZ

11 Joshua Ahiaba GIZ

12 George M Dwumfour Norpalm Ghana Limted

13 Evans Asinyo Norpalm Ghana Limited

14 George Osei Poku Department of Crop Services/Ministry of Food and Agriculture

15 Victor Zutah BOPP

16 Samuel Avaala BOPP

17 Mustapha Seidu WWF

18 Rebecca Asare NCRC/ Forest Trends

19 Ofori Lartey SGSOC

20 Charles Marte Korle Norpalm

21 Kwame Boafo Ghana Wildlife Society

22 Ebenezer Kofi Amoah Norpalm

23 Isaac Quarm GSOPP

24 Isabel Schlegel GOPDC


21

Training workshop Day 2: 15th May, 2012









8 David Nunoo TOPP


10 Uwe Ohmstedt GIZ







17 Martin Yelibora NCRC/ Forest Trends





22 Isabel Schlegel GOPDC

23 Augustus Asamoah GWS

24 Saadia Bobtoya IUCN

25 Kingsley Bekoe Ansah Forest Watch


22

Dialogue platform, 16th May, 2012









8 David Nunoo TOPP


10 Uwe Ohmstedt GIZ







17 Martin Yelibora NCRC/ Forest Trends





22 Augustus Asamoah GWS

23 Saadia Bobtoya IUCN

24 Kingsley Bekoe Ansah Forest Watch


23

6 Programme for RSPO Africa Roadshow Venue: Centre for Africa Wetlands, Zoology Department, University of Ghana

Monday, the 14th of May, 2012

Time Agenda

9.00-10:00

Programme overview and introductions:

Objective: To present a brief introduction of the programme and the institutions involved.

• Welcome and introductions • Housekeeping • About the RSPO Africa Roadshow • About WAFF/SWAPP/Proforest • Needs assessment forms

10.00-11:00

Sustainable palm oil: Objective: To present the concept of sustainable palm oil and the RSPO, current global discussions, and an introduction to the RSPO’s principles and criteria.

• Sustainability in the agricultural sector

• Activity 1.1 Key sustainability issues

11:00-11.15 Tea break

11.15-12.15 • Certification as a tool for promoting sustainability

• Introduction to RSPO

12.15-13:15 Lunch

13:15-14:45 • The RSPO Standard (Principles and Criteria)

• New plantings under RSPO

• Activity 1.2 Labour issues under the RSPO

14:45-15:00 Tea break

15:00-16:30

RSPO Certification process Session presents an overview of the RSPO certification process, national interpretations, grievance resolutions

• RSPO Certification process and requirements • Activity 1.3

16:30-17:00 • Recap and further discussions

17:00 CLOSE


24

Tuesday, the 15th of May, 2012

Time Agenda

9.30-10.30

Smallholders

Session to discuss the importance of smallholders, opportunities and challenges for sustainable production and certification under the RSPO

• Smallholders and oil palm

• RSPO certification for smallholders

10:30-11:00 Tea break

11.00-12:30

Free Prior and Informed Consent

Session introduces the concept of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and how it is applied in the context of RSPO certification

• FPIC under the RSPO

• Activity 2.1

12.30-13:30 Lunch

13.30-15:00

High Conservation Values

Session presents an introduction the HCV concept, its use in certification under the RSPO, the six HCVs and their management/monitoring

• Activity 2.2

• Introduction to HCVs

• The six HCVs

15:00-15:30 Tea break

15:30-16:00 • Activity 2.3

16:00-16:45 • HCV identification and management

16:45-17:00 • Recap and discussions

17.00 CLOSE


25

Wednesday, the 16th of May, 2012

Time Agenda

9.00-10.30

Dialogue platform

Half day session design to promote stakeholder discussions on challenges to sustainable oil palm development in Ghana and the way forward

• Group activity: Sustainable palm oil in Ghana; key challenges and opportunities

Social issues Environmental issues Policy legal, regulatory framework

10:30-11:00 Tea break

11.00-12:00 • Plenary discussions from group activities

• Needed interventions to promote sustainable palm oil

12.30-13:30 Lunch


26

South Suite, Frewin Chambers Frewin Court, Oxford OX1 3HZ United Kingdom T: +44 (0) 1865 243439 F: +44 (0) 1865 244820 E: [email protected] W: www.proforestinitiative.org


http://www.proforestinitiative.org/

rspo africa roadshow-ghana

Documents