Climate Change Adaptation in Ghana: Strategies, Initiatives and Practices

The paper examines Ghana's climate vulnerabilities, noting that the northern savannah zones and rural agricultural populations are most at risk. While the government has established several policy frameworks, the author finds a significant imbalance in climate finance, with mitigation receiving 87.4% of funds compared to 3.4% for adaptation between 2011 and 2019. The document highlights that adaptation planning remains top-down, often ignoring local knowledge and failing to reach vulnerable groups, including women. It concludes that for adaptation to be sustainable, authority and finance must be delegated to local communities to address specific regional needs.

• Climate change is causing significant environmental and economic stress in Ghana, characterized by rising temperatures, changing precipitation, and increased weather extremes. Specifically, the average yearly temperature has risen by 1°C, and there has been an increase of 73 hot nights and 48 hot days per year.
• Vulnerability to climate change in Ghana is geographically and socially stratified. The northern savannah agro-ecologies are the most vulnerable zones, and rural populations are particularly at risk due to a heavy reliance on rain-fed agriculture, with less than 1% of national crop area being irrigated. Women face heightened vulnerability due to patriarchal decision-making and limited access to land.
• There is a severe imbalance in the allocation of climate finance in Ghana, heavily favoring mitigation over adaptation. Between 2011 and 2019, mitigation activities received 87.4% of total committed finance, while adaptation received only 3.4%. The energy sector was the largest recipient of funds, receiving US$ 758.8 million (57.8% of total funds).

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} }