Stakeholders Review Ghana’s Climate Change Policy Framework

Francis Npong, Wa, Upper West

Mr. Philip Acquah in suit explaining a point to some participants

Ghana has less than nine years to build climate change resilience, adaptation and mitigation measures to be able to withstand the looming devastating effects of climate change and global warming.

The member of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Roaster of Experts, Mr. Philip Acquah who gave this warning pointed out that the country which was currently grappling with the burden of poverty, environmental degradation, food insecurity is prone to erratic rainfall, floods, droughts and diseases and would need an action plan to be able to cope with the effects of global warming which was rare by 2020.

Mr. Acquah who was leading discussions on a three- day civil society capacity building on climate change and review of the national climate change policy framework document currently ongoing here in Wa, the Upper West Region stated that there would be no more time for Ghana and for that matter countries in Sub-Sahara region to build capacities of their people to deal with the effects of climate change if it was not done now.

The workshop organized by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology (MEST) in collaboration with CARE International Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP) and KASA and brought together representatives from civil society organizations in the three regions of Ghana was to enhance civil society capacity to understand the causes, impact and response measures to climate change. It was also to provide a consultative platform for civil society to discuss and input the national climate change policy framework to make its implementation easy.

The member of UNFCCC roaster of experts described climate change as a threat to Ghana’s development process and would need both the long and short term mitigation and adaptation policies and programmes to be able to cope with the effects of climate change.

The Advocacy manager of CARE International, Mr. Baba Tuahiru explained that Adaptation Learning Programme (ALP) is part of the organization’s resolve to increase the capacity of vulnerable households in sub-sahara Africa to adapt to climate variability and change.

The programme, he said which develops and applies innovative approaches to community basd adaptation to generate best practices models is aimed to empower communities and civil society organizations to have a voice in decision making on adaptation to climate change and also to influence national, regional and international adaptation policies and plans.

Mr. Tuahiru explained that ALP which is being implemented in 40 communities in Ghana, Niger, Mozambique and Kenya also promotes rights and responsibilities and empower people in the most vulnerable socio-economic groups to take action and raise their voices in local, national, and international planning and policy-making processes on adaptation and mitigation of climate change.

A Director in-charge of KASA programme at CARE International, Mr. Zakaria Yakubu said that the development of national climate change framework was to create a more coherent, equitable and integrated society to deal with the effects of climate change on development and livelihoods.

He said that the policy framework was also to ensure a climate resilience and climate compatible economy while achieving sustainable development and equitable low carbon economic growth for Ghana.

He called for effective collaboration between the government and civil society to ensure the successful implemtation of climate change policy to reduce poverty, hunger and prepare the people to adapt coping strategies for a better livelihood.