PROJECTS

A number of Sustainable Development, Research, Conservation, Capacity and Institution Development and Infrastructure Development Projects have been implemented, or are under implementation at Mole National Park and its Fringe Communities. These are by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, Ricerca e Cooperazione, The African Development Bank, The Kingdom of the Netherlands, and AROCHA. The following projects are ongoing:

1. “PRIDE OF GHANA 9602/RC/GHA LOCAL DEVELOPMENT AND ASSISTANCE TOWARD THE SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF THE MOLE NATIONAL PARK AND ITS FRINGE COMMUNITIES” 2011 -2015
This is a four-year initiative made up of Research, Capacity and Institution Building, as well as Local Development Actions meant at enhancing the development and management of Mole National Park, and, at the same time, enhancing the livelihoods of the population of its fringe communities, within a sustainable development framework. The Project, which is cofounded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, is implemented by Ricerca e Cooperazione, an Italian NGO, the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission of Ghana, and the University dellaTuscia, Italy. The Project started in late 2011 and will end in 2015. It has a budget of Euros 1,681,000 Euros where the main funder, MAECI, contributes 49%, while the remaining contributions are made by Ricerca e Cooperazione and the Wildlife Division.
The objectives of this Project are: increasing the biodiversity of the Park, enhancing tourism operations for local and national economic benefit, and reducing poverty. The specific objective is to increase tourist influx. Direct beneficiaries of the Project are the entire staff of the Park, tour operators active inside and outside the park, the population of 33 communities situated in the fringe areas, researchers and students, staff of the District Assemblies, Local NGOs, and traditional rulers. In all 4,390 persons are expected to benefit directly. Indirect beneficiaries of the Project are other communities situated in the five districts around the Park, the global community, and research institutions.
The Project, in line with the socio-economic and environmental development policies of Ghana, aims at enhancing the capacity of the Park to conserve and manage, in a sustainable way, species of ecological and historical importance. Among others, the action aims at the protection of the last population of lion (leopanthera) present in Ghana. The lion is a key species of the savannah ecosystem.

The main activities carried out by the Project are:

• training of staff of the Widlife Division; 
• supply of equipment to the Wildlife Division; 
• educational campaigns in favour of the fringe communities; 
• construction, organisation and equipment of a Research Centre; 
• constitution and strengthening of permanent committees for the management of the Centre;
• engaging national and international universities; 
• training of the staff in the tourism sector; 
• networking and lobbying for the improvement of roads, paths and bridges;
• marketing and promotion of the park and its fringe areas; and
• functional literacy programs and facilitation on income generating activities (connecting literacy and Income Generation Groups to Institutions and Agencies engaged in developing micro-enterprises).

So far, the Project has achieved results by facilitating and consolidating income generating activities in the tourism supply chain; facilitating the access and management of micro-credit; training in functional literacy; and strengthening the capacity of the Wildlife Division and the District Assemblies surrounding Mole National Park to manage their natural and cultural resources in a sustainable way, by assisting Mole National Park to develop a dossier to obtain the status of a World Heritage Site.

2.FULFUSO-SAWLA ROAD PROJECT
This is a Government of Ghana/African Development Bank Project, which was completed in August 2015. The Project has re-constructed the 147.5km Fufulso-Sawla road which traverses three districts, namely Central Gonja District, West Gonja District, and Sawla-Tuna-Kalba District, all in the Northern Region of Ghana. The road is earmarked for development into a trunk road providing the main gateway to the Upper West Region from Tamale.w
The Fufulso-Sawla Road traverses twenty-seven communities including Fufulso, Busunu, Damango, Larabanga, Grupe, Sawla, etc. It is the only major road that links the Northern Region to the Upper West Region of Ghana. The Project has involved the reconstruction of the existing Right-of-Way (RoW) from Fufulso to Sawla, which was in a deplorable condition. It has also involved ancillary works such as reconstruction of markets and lorry parks at Larabanga, Busunu, Fufulso, Sawla and Damango, and rehabilitation of community health post services at Damango. Other ancillary works are water provision in communities. The Project also tarred the road from Larabanga to Mole National Park, and major connection ways within the Mole National Park Headquarters. It also built the Mole National Park Museum.

3. ‘CREMAs FOR BIODIVERSITY, LIVELIHOODS AND CLIMATE BENEFITS IN BUFFER ZONES AROUND MOLE NATIONAL PARK’, 2014 -2017.
This is a three-year Project implemented by A Rocha Ghana, funded by the Ecosystem Alliance (EA, a partnership of IUCN-NL, Both Ends and Wetlands International) and Territories Conservation Management Program (TCM, a partnership of IUCN-Fr and GES French Facility).
The Project aims to empower local institutions, referring here to civil society, government agencies and communities, to effectively participate in the management of natural resources. In this regard, the Project intends to consolidate existing CREMAs (Murugu-Mognori and Kumbo CREMAs) while extending community participation in natural resource management to Kpulumbu, Bawena, Grubagu and Wawato.
One of the key outcomes of this Project is to consider and promote green market models in seeking to develop livelihood strategies in the target communities. It also seeks to improve the relationship between the Park and the fringe communities through the development of activities that encourage dialogue and responsibility-sharing for the management of resources in the Park, as well as resources in off-reserve areas. Aside from the support to the PAMAUs, the Project has earmarked some funds to support community and Park managed eco-tourism ventures that have the potential to foster healthy relationships between fringe communities and Park management. Specifically, the Project seeks to enhance the tourism potential of Kparia Waterfalls, which has been identified to have a special appeal, and is considered to be one of the most beautiful experiences anywhere in the Northern Region and the two upper regions of Ghana. The products it has to offer are unique, exciting and never to be experienced anywhere in the three regions north of BrongAhafo Region.