Ghana’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) has advanced efforts to build climate resilience by successfully integrating adaptation measures into national and district development planning frameworks.
The country has also incorporated climate risk data into planning and budgeting systems at both district and national levels.
Professor Nana Ama Brown Klutse, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), stated this in a speech delivered on her behalf at a forum to raise awareness among Members of Parliament (MPs) on climate change impacts and the role of NAPs in building resilience.
The event provided Parliamentarians with insights into the NAP process, its strategic objectives, implementation framework, and alignment with national development goals.
The meeting brought together members of the select committees on environment, gender, and local government to emphasise Parliament’s critical role in climate policy oversight, legislative action, and resource mobilisation for effective NAP implementation.
It was organised by the EPA and Climate Change Communication and Local Governance Africa, with support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
Prof. Klutse noted that Ghana’s approach to adaptation had moved from planning to implementation, driven by stakeholder engagement, capacity-building initiatives, and targeted investments.
“Ghana has developed risk and vulnerability assessments for all 261 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs), and we are witnessing better-informed planning that reflects the realities of climate stress on communities,” she said.
Mr. Yaw Frimpong Addo, Chairman of the Select Committee on Environment, Science, and Technology, said climate change was affecting all sectors of the economy, underscoring the need for proactive adaptation measures.
He emphasised that sustaining adaptation efforts required a stronger legal framework and a national climate adaptation fund.
“Adaptation is a continuous process. Ghana must institutionalise climate risk screening for all public investments and ensure our most vulnerable populations, especially women and children in rural areas, are protected,” said Mr. Addo, who is also MP for Manso Adubia.
Mr. Daniel Essey, Programme Officer, Climate Change Adaptation Unit, UNEP, praised Ghana’s leadership and strategic direction in tackling climate change impacts, particularly in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries.
“Climate variability and its associated risks have become more intense across the region,” he stated, citing prolonged droughts, floods, desertification, and rising sea levels affecting coastal communities.
With close to 70 percent of Ghana’s population dependent on climate-sensitive sectors, the UNEP representative noted that the NAP process offered a vital opportunity to shift from short-term, project-based actions to a long-term, programmatic adaptation approach.
“Over the past four years, Ghana’s NAP has produced a gender-responsive and costed adaptation strategy. It has also developed systems and tools for mainstream adaptation into sectoral and district development plans,” he added.
UNEP reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) in enhancing Ghana’s adaptive capacity and resilience.
Mr. Essey representative also commended Ghana’s recent passage of the Environmental Protection Act (Act 1124), describing it as “a new chapter in Ghana’s commitment to climate action” and a major step towards aligning development with environmental sustainability.
“We are confident that Ghana’s NAP will become a shining example across the region of how political will, technical planning, and inclusive action can drive climate resilience,” he said.
Albert Oppong-Ansah/Dorcas Stephens ,GNA
