By Stanley Senya
Accra, April 25, GNA – Ghana has strengthened its efforts to secure climate-resilient water resources through a landmark initiative under the African Union-Green Climate Fund (AU-GCF) Multi-Country Readiness Support Programme.
As one of the 15 African countries selected for the initiative, Ghana is poised to enhance its access to climate finance for water-related investments, backed by $599,431 in funding.
The support comes as part of the broader Africa Water Investment Programme (AIP), which aimed to accelerate strategic, climate-resilient water investments across the continent.
A news statement copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said, the initiative also aligned with Ghana’s national development agenda, particularly its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), National Climate Change Policy, and National Water Policy.
It said despite commendable progress in policy formulation, Ghana still faced challenges in mobilising the financial resources needed to turn climate-resilient water goals into reality.
The statement said the AU-GCF initiative seeks to address the gaps through a three approach which included, accreditation of a Direct Access Entity (DAE), development of a Water Investment Programme and capacity building for Climate Finance Programming.
Mr. Edwin Kissi Afosah-Anim, Deputy Director of the Water Management Directorate at the Water Resources Commission and Ghana’s GCF Focal Point said; “we have some documentation relevant to climate-resilient water investments, but we realize that we lack financial strategies to bring that vision to life.”
He said through this initiative, Ghana has begun participating in capacity-building programmes to develop a Water Investment Programme with a corresponding financial strategy. “This will help us, among other things, attract private sector investment in water,” he added.
However, Africa remained highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, especially in the water sector. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and increasing incidents of droughts and floods continue to threaten water security across the continent. Yet, many African nations struggle to access the financing needed to confront these challenges head-on.
The statement said to bridge this gap, the AU-GCF Multi-Country Readiness Support Initiative, implemented by the African Union Commission with funding from the Green Climate Fund and technical support from Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) was launched to boost the capacity of participating countries.
The initiative targeted key challenges including limited access to climate finance, weak institutional frameworks, fragmented investment pipelines, and a lack of knowledge sharing across the continent.
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