Climate Change Adaptation in Ghana: Strategies, Initiatives and Practices

This research paper provides an overview of climate change adaptation in Ghana, analyzing the country's vulnerability, existing policy frameworks, and the significant gaps in climate finance and local-level implementation. It argues for a shift from top-down planning toward locally-led adaptation to better address the needs of the most vulnerable populations.

• Climate change is significantly impacting Ghana through rising temperatures and altered precipitation, leading to land degradation, biodiversity loss, and food insecurity. Specific data shows the average yearly temperature has risen by 1°C, with an increase of 73 hot nights and 48 hot days per year.
• Vulnerability to climate change is highest in the northern savanna zones and among rural populations who rely heavily on rain-fed agriculture, as less than 1% of the national crop area is irrigated. Women are identified as especially vulnerable due to patriarchal decision-making and limited access to land.
• Ghana has established several policy frameworks to build resilience, including the National Climate Change Policy (2013), the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (2012), and the National Climate Change Master Plan Action Programmes for Implementation (2015–2020).
• Climate finance in Ghana is difficult to track because funds often bypass the Ministry of Finance, communication between donors and government is poorly coordinated, and non-monetary support is hard to monitor. Between 2011 and 2019, approximately US$ 1.3 billion in climate finance was committed, with 72.1% provided as grants.
• There is a severe imbalance between mitigation and adaptation funding. From 2011 to 2019, mitigation activities received 87.4% of committed finance, while adaptation received only 3.4%. The energy sector was the largest recipient of funds, totaling US$ 758.8 million.
• Ghana faces a significant investment gap for its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (2020-2030), requiring between US$ 9.3 and US$ 15.5 billion. Of this, US$ 3.9 billion is for unconditional programmes and US$ 5.4 billion is for conditional programmes.
• Climate adaptation efforts are criticized for being too top-down, with local communities' voices rarely included in decision-making. Research indicates that between 2013 and 2021, about half of the Climate Change Adaptation Programs of local authorities were never implemented, and over 70% were not completely successful due to lack of finance.

APA

Arhin, A. (2022). Climate Change Adaptation in Ghana: Strategies, Initiatives and Practices. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/climate-change-adaptation-in-ghana-strategies-initiatives-and-practices

Chicago

Arhin, Albert. Climate Change Adaptation in Ghana: Strategies, Initiatives and Practices. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2022. https://afripoli.org/climate-change-adaptation-in-ghana-strategies-initiatives-and-practices.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Arhin |first1=Albert |title=Climate Change Adaptation in Ghana: Strategies, Initiatives and Practices |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=10 October 2022 |url=https://afripoli.org/climate-change-adaptation-in-ghana-strategies-initiatives-and-practices |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{arhin2022climate, author = {Arhin, Albert}, title = {{Climate Change Adaptation in Ghana: Strategies, Initiatives and Practices}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://afripoli.org/climate-change-adaptation-in-ghana-strategies-initiatives-and-practices}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }