By Edward Acquah, GNA
Accra, Oct. 30, GNA – The Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) has tasked Ghana’s climate change negotiators to prioritise national and African interests in discussions at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Türkiye.
The 14-member negotiating team is expected to advance Ghana’s positions on key climate issues, including climate finance, adaptation, technology transfer, agriculture and energy transition, while ensuring that the continent’s concerns are adequately represented.
Professor Nana Ama Browne Klutse, Chief Executive Officer of the EPA, gave the directive at a pre-COP31 meeting in Accra on Friday, where the Authority unveiled the Black Star Agenda: Ghana Climate Negotiation Position, a document outlining the country’s priorities and strategic direction for the negotiations.
She said Ghana must move beyond merely attending international climate conferences to participating meaningfully and ensuring that its concerns influenced decisions.
“It is important that as we go for COP, we have a clear agenda and a clear mission. We don’t just want to attend; we want to participate, and we want our voices heard,” she said.
Prof. Klutse said the negotiating team must ensure that Ghana’s national priorities, particularly in agriculture, technology transfer, energy transition, climate change, the environment and infrastructure, were reflected in the discussions.
She said the Black Star Agenda would provide a framework for the country’s engagement across different negotiating areas and help ensure that national interests remained central to its participation.
Prof. Klutse said the initiative also sought to build a sustainable pool of technically competent negotiators, strengthen institutional memory and facilitate knowledge transfer between experienced and emerging experts.
She said Ghana’s leadership of the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) placed an additional responsibility on the country to ensure that the continent’s shared concerns were advanced alongside its national priorities.
“Our challenges are very much similar to many other African countries’ challenges, and our solutions will equally be similar as well,” she said, urging the team to demonstrate leadership in the negotiations.
Madam Keara Shaw, Australian High Commissioner Designate to Ghana, said Ghana’s voice was important in shaping global climate responses, particularly given its leadership role within the African negotiating bloc.
She said Australia would work with other countries to advance climate action, including keeping the 1.5-degree Celsius warming limit within reach, improving access to climate finance, strengthening resilience and accelerating the energy transition.
Mr Hüseyin Güngör, Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, said Türkiye was committed to making COP31 an implementation-focused conference that would translate existing climate commitments into tangible results.
He said Africa contributed the least to global emissions but experienced some of the most severe climate impacts, making support for the continent’s adaptation capacity and resilience important.
Meanwhile, the Jospong Group of Companies presented a cheque for 50,000 dollars to the EPA to support Ghana’s COP31 negotiation preparations.
COP31 will take place from November 9 to 20, 2026, in Antalya, Türkiye, with discussions expected to focus on climate finance, adaptation, mitigation, energy transition, sustainable agriculture, food security, ocean protection and climate resilience.
GNA
Edited Agnes Boye-Doe
Reporter: Edward Acquah