Initiatives related to climate change in Ghana: Towards coordinating efforts

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Summary

Ghana has shown impressive economic development over the past decades, and according to thelatest statistics is currently reaching lower middle income status. At the same time, the countryis vulnerable to climate change, as a majority of its society still depends on small-scaleagriculture and other key economic assets threatened by climate change, such as the coastalzone and water resources. Already today, there is an observed rise in temperatures across allecological zones in Ghana, and rainfall patterns are becoming less predictable (MEST, 2010).The Government of Ghana recognizes the social and economic impacts, and the developmentchallenge arising from climate change. It is committed to mainstreaming climate change intokey planning processes on the national, regional and local level (MEST, 2010).

In early 2010, the government started the process of developing a National Climate Change Policy Framework(NCCPF). To support this process and a further harmonization of climate change related activitiesin Ghana, the Ghana Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MOFEP) and Ministry ofEnvironment, Science and Technology (MEST) expressed demand for a mapping of the mostimportant past and current climate change related activities in the country, and of internationalclimate change related funding opportunities. The outcomes of the study can help to identifyoverlaps and gaps and provide guidance for future needs.The mapping exercise focuses on the two thematic areas: Adaptation and Low Carbon Growthrespectively.

Climate change initiatives were collected by extensive literature research, by requestinginformation from a wide range of stakeholders and by conducting stakeholder interviews.In addition, information on climate finance initiatives and funding opportunities, wascollected based on publicly available information sources and on interviews with representativesof the most important donor countries and multilateral agencies present in Ghana. 

Authors

Würtenberger, L