By Lydia Kukua Asamoah
Accra, Feb 27, GNA – Some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) actors working in the environment space in Ghana, have been enrolled in a series of training sessions to build their capacities on climate change projects and financing.
The training is also to build their capacities in developing high-quality proposals for climate projects, increasing their chances of accessing funding from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and other climate finance mechanisms.
The HATOF Foundation, an NGO, is organising the 16-day technical training workshop for 40 participants representing the CSOs in the country.
It is dubbed; Proposal Writing Bootcamp for CSOs in Ghana under the GCF CSO Readiness Project in Ghana.
The Ministry of Finance is the GCF National Designated Authority (NDA) that is partnering with the HATOF Foundation in organising the workshop divided into Basic, Intermediate and Advanced levels.
The workshop is running in the months of February and March, and falls under the project titled: “Capacity Building and Knowledge Management on Climate for Civil Society Organizations in Ghana towards the implementation of the Nationally Determined Contributions.”
Dr Samuel Dotse, Chief Executive, HATOF Foundation, explained at the opening ceremony of the training that following the official launch of the GCF Readiness Project in Ghana in 2022, Consultants were recruited to develop capacities of the CSOs under the ten target CSO Networks in Ghana.
It was expected to also enhance knowledge of national climate change policies and the GCF, develop practical skills for climate change project development, implementation, and monitoring aligned with GCF requirements, investment criteria, and country programmes.
Dr Dotse said the training would foster collaboration among stakeholders in Ghana’s climate change actions and the implementation of the national climate adaptation and mitigation actions, also known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
So, this training that we are doing here is to give capacity to the CSOs to understand the requirement of the fund, to understand the technicalities in putting up bankable project proposals in accessing the fund to implement the NDCs, Dr Dotse said.
Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), commended HATOF Foundation for leading the efforts at explaining climate change projects and financing to civil society activists.
She encouraged CSOs to take advantage of the training to properly understand the processes in accessing the fund, source some funds and help in implementing Ghana’s NDCs.
She also urged them to support national efforts in communicating climate change information as well as mitigation and adaptation measures among the citizenry.
Ms Paulina Amenyana, Project Assistant, Rights and Advocacy Initiative Network, a participant, said the basic level of the training had been helpful in helping participants understand the climate actions and available funds that could be accessed to aid the work of environmental NGOs.
Mr Ransford Sackey, Technical Officer in charge of Environment, Kasa Initiative Ghana, another participant, said he was happy the training was taking them through the whole rudiments of the GCF structure for them to be able to follow through the process and access it to support national efforts.
He looked forward to all three levels, hoping it would adequately equip them in their NGO work on protecting the environment for humanity.
GNA