By Elsie Appiah-Osei
Accra, Oct 19, GNA – A multi-stakeholder workshop to explore pathways and advance locally-led adaptation as a key component of Ghana’s climate mitigation actions has been held in Accra.
The workshop, organised by Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI), in collaboration with the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre (GCIC), explored pathways through which locally led adaptation could support Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and climate change adaptation planning.
It brought together government officials, non-governmental organisations, Civil Society and the private sector to explore opportunities, barriers and constraints for accelerating the process in Ghana.
Dr Grace Mbungu, the Head of the Climate Change Programme, APRI, stressed the importance of the initiative as policy tools and approaches for making climate action more effective.
Individual farmers, households and resource managers operating at the micro-level made most of the key land use and resource allocation decisions to adapt to the threats and opportunities of a changing climate.
As such, Dr Mbungu said climate adaptation actions risked being ineffective if they failed to be led by the views and priorities of the local stakeholders who influenced land, water and other resource usage.
“We need to learn from those who are at the forefront, dealing and coping with the effects of the climate crisis. The steps they take to deal with the day-to-day effects of climate change can and should inform policy and implantation strategies,” she said.
“Tha actions that could be supported should also receive support,” she said.
Madam Rukayatu Sanusi, the Executive Director, GCIC, said Ghana was making some progress in formulating policies, strategies and projects to advance climate action, and it was important to deepen learning from initiatives on locally-led adaptation, to inform the country’s priorities advanced in the NDCs and the National Adaptation Framework.
Dr Albert Arhin, a Research Fellow at APRI, in his presentation, said climate finance was not reaching the local level as expected.
“This is because just about 3.5 per cent out of the US$ 1.3 billion climate finance inflows to Ghana from 2011-2019 were spent on climate adaptation initiatives that support local communities to adjust and respond to the harsh realities of climate change,” he said.
On the success story, participants acknowledged the existence of policy development in Ghana and funding for Small and Medium Enterprises.
They, however, called for effective media involvement and awareness creation as a multi-stakeholder approach to achieve locally-led adaptation of Ghana’s climate change.
The virtual and in-person event was held in Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal simultaneously.
APRI is an independent and non-partisan African think tank. It researches key policy issues affecting African countries and the African continent. APRI also provides policy options to African policymakers and civil society actors.
GCIC is a pioneering business incubator with a unique focus on developing SME ventures and entrepreneurs in Ghana’s ‘Green Economy. The Centre is an institute of Ashesi University.
GNA