Accra, Nov. 2, GNA – The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has urged urgent, coordinated national action to minimise the potential impacts of a very strong El Niño event expected to persist into early 2027.
It also urged the ministries responsible for Agriculture, Health, Energy, Water Resources, Local Government and Finance to coordinate targeted interventions, supported by technical agencies, to safeguard food security, public health, water resources, electricity supply and vulnerable communities.
The recommendations are contained in a technical brief issued by GMet in October 2026, following a scientific review by its Governing Board on October 27.
The document outlines the potential climate risks to Ghana and proposes measures to strengthen national preparedness.
GMet said the tropical Pacific was experiencing a very strong and intensifying El Niño event, with the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Centre projecting a 96 per cent probability that it would reach very strong intensity between November 2026 and January 2027.
The event is expected to persist into early 2027, with the main concerns for Ghana between November 2026 and April 2027, when many areas could experience hotter and drier conditions, bushfires, water stress and increased dust.
Heat stress is projected to peak between February and April 2027, particularly in northern Ghana, with possible implications for public health, agriculture and livelihoods.
GMet cautioned, however, that the severity and distribution of the impacts remained uncertain, explaining that El Niño did not automatically produce uniform climate conditions across the country and that the state of the tropical Atlantic Ocean would also influence rainfall patterns.
Under the proposed interventions, the Ministry responsible for Food and Agriculture is expected to prioritise the availability of drought-tolerant and early-maturing seeds, expand access to irrigation and water harvesting in vulnerable northern and transition-zone districts, and strengthen national food and seed reserves.
The brief also recommends that the cocoa belt be monitored jointly with the Ghana Cocoa Board, with targeted extension support, including shade management and disease control, provided to affected farmers.
For the Ministry responsible for Health, the priority measures include strengthening meningitis surveillance in northern Ghana, pre-positioning vaccines and treatment supplies, and developing heat-health action plans and public advisories for the February-April 2027 period.
The health authorities, the G-Met said should strengthen malnutrition surveillance and maintain preparedness for cholera and other water-borne diseases that could arise from heavy rainfall and flooding.
In the energy sector, the Ministry responsible for Energy, working with the Energy Commission, the Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) and the Volta River Authority (VRA), are to plan energy-mix and demand-management contingencies for 2027 and 2028.
GMet said hydropower generation during the 2026/27 dry season would depend mainly on water already stored in the Volta Lake, while inflows during the 2027 rainy season would be important in determining generation levels in 2028.
The Ministry responsible for Water Resources, alongside the VRA, Bui Power Authority, GRIDCo and the relevant district assemblies, is to support close monitoring of Volta Lake levels and inflows, establish trigger levels for contingency measures and strengthen communication protocols for any necessary controlled spillage.
The brief also calls for a review of reservoir operating arrangements to balance drought management and flood-control requirements, as well as updated evacuation and communication plans for downstream communities.
At the local government level, the Ministry responsible for Local Government is expected to support district-level preparedness, working with the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to identify vulnerable areas and guide targeted resource allocation.
It urged NADMO to replenish and pre-position relief supplies, prepare flood-prone Volta Basin and coastal communities, strengthen wildfire prevention messaging and rehearse inter-agency response arrangements ahead of the peak risk period.
The Ministry of Finance is also to support an assessment of the adequacy of the National Disaster Management Fund and related contingency budget lines, with supplementary allocations or contingent financing considered where necessary.
GMet recommended the activation or reconvening of a National El Niño/Dry-Season Preparedness Task Force comprising the relevant ministries and the VRA, with technical support from the Agency and regular reporting to Government and the Cabinet during the peak risk period.
It also proposed a coordinated public-awareness campaign involving the National Commission for Civic Education, GMet and NADMO to explain the climate threat, manage public expectations and direct citizens to authoritative early-warning information.
The Agency said it would issue updated seasonal forecasts for the 2027 major and northern rainfall seasons early in the year, taking into account developments in the Pacific and tropical Atlantic oceans, and brief Government on any significant revisions.
Ghana has experienced previous El Niño episodes, including the very strong events of 1982/83, 1997/98 and 2015/16, and the moderate event of 2023/24.
The brief noted that the impacts of those episodes varied across the country and that some of Ghana’s most damaging climate shocks occurred outside El Niño years.
It emphasised continuous monitoring and preparedness rather than reliance on a single seasonal prediction.
GNA
Edited by Beatrice Asamani Savage
02 November 2026