By Patrick Ofoe Nudzi
Accra, Dec. 22, GNA – Ghana’s climate response must prioritise adaptation, community engagement and behavioural change, Mr Seidu Issifu, Minister of State responsible for Climate Change and Sustainability, has said.
Addressing participants at the Climate Talk Dialogue 2025 organised by the German Embassy at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra, he said climate actions underpinned economic growth, poverty reduction and national security.
The Minister said it was essential for agencies, institutions and communities to view climate change as a core national development issue.
The Climate Talk 2025 examined clean cooking, indigenous knowledge in coastal resilience, green industrial practices, sustainable railway transport, the impact of climate change on women and children, and electric mobility innovation led by artisans.
Mr Issifu said Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement had been anchored on three priority areas -adaptation, mitigation and a just transition to renewable energy.
He said Ghana had developed ambitious national targets, including 30 per cent renewable energy by 2030, alongside social protection measures for vulnerable groups, particularly women and children.
“Government is currently developing NDC 3.0, which will extend Ghana’s climate targets from 2030 to 2035 and significantly raise national ambition. The NDC 3.0 will outline 76 action points, with 60 focused on mitigation and 16 on adaptation,” he said.
Mr Issifu said climate change was largely driven by human behaviour, making education, community engagement and decentralised communication essential.
He said that climate discussions must reach communities in local languages to encourage ownership and sustained action.
The Minister said the government had made plans to establish a National Climate Change and Sustainability Hub as part of efforts to strengthen climate governance.
He said Ghana had progressed under the NDC framework, achieving a 43.4 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and growth in the international carbon market under Article 6, adding that finance remained a major challenge, with an estimated $22 million required to fully implement the NDC 3.0 targets.
Mr. Felix Addo Okyere, a Representative of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the Climate Talk initiative was a valuable platform for inclusive engagement among government, development partners, civil society, the private sector and citizens.
He stated that Ghana’s updated NDC aimed to generate more than one million green jobs, enhance air quality and benefit nearly 35 million people, noting that success would rely on international cooperation, climate finance and technology transfer.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey