These projects were implemented with very good results in Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, Sri Lanka and Togo. As is well known China is the market leader for the intensive production and processing of bamboo products and has provided extensive technical support to bamboo development in other developing countries under the aegis of South South Cooperation. The International Center for Bamboo Research (ICBR) and the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) have partnered with CFC to promote the role of bamboo development for achieving the objectives of the Millenium Development Goals. In Ghana CFC financed three bamboo development projects. As a result bamboo became a model for sustainable ecological development in Ghana. Recently a Ghanean entrepreneur, Ms Bernice Dapaah was rewarded for her hard work on the development of bamboo bikes by an award given to her during the UN World Business and Development Forum in Rio. Ms. Dapaah stated that her “passion for the development of the bamboo sector is very high especially when we see the strong potential it offers and how it can go a long way to create employment opportunities for thousands of young people”. CFC is also promoting the use of bamboo as a substitute of timber for the production of charcoal in Ghana. Bamboo based charcoal is not only less costly in production terms but is also more energy efficient. As a renewable resource, bamboo is faster growing than ordinary trees and is also useful for mitigating water pollution. Thus bamboo is becoming a very important source of income of the population in the targeted area of Ghana and will also help to increase the availability of clean water and sustainable energy for the population. The surplus bamboo marketed for industrial development initiatives such as the bamboo bikes can be gainfully used for charcoal production. CFC is very pleased with this award which stands out as a recognition of the importance of bamboo for business development and environmentally friendly commodity development.
