UNLOCKING ADAPTATION POTENTIAL

This report analyzes climate change adaptation in Ghana, highlighting a critical gap between top-down national policies and locally led adaptation (LLA). While Ghana has established comprehensive frameworks like the updated NDCs, funding is heavily skewed toward mitigation (87.4%) over adaptation (3.4%). Through case studies in the Savannah, Upper East, and coastal regions, the report demonstrates that LLA initiatives—such as organic shea processing, climate-smart agriculture, and community-based coastal monitoring—are effective but hindered by limited finance and institutional support. The authors recommend devolving financial resources, integrating traditional knowledge, and fostering participatory decision-making to enhance national resilience.

• Ghana is highly vulnerable to climate change, experiencing increased temperatures, erratic rainfall, and extreme weather events that threaten agriculture, forestry, and coastal resources. Projections indicate the mean annual temperature could rise by approximately 4.8°C from 1990 to 2100, and the number of warm spell days could increase from 10 in 1990 to over 280 by 2100.
• Ghana's updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) include 47 programmes of action, with 13 specifically focused on adaptation. Priority areas include resilient infrastructure, food systems, urban planning, early warning systems, and the resilience of women and vulnerable groups.
• There is a significant disparity in climate finance allocation in Ghana. Between 2011 and 2019, total climate inflows were approximately USD 1.3 billion, but 87.4% was allocated to mitigation, while only 3.4% went to adaptation. The energy sector was the largest recipient, receiving 57.8% of total funds.

APA

Albert, A., & Oblitei, T. R. (2023). UNLOCKING ADAPTATION POTENTIAL. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/projects/climate-adaptation/uploads/files/climate_adaptation_ghana_final_report.pdf

Chicago

Albert, Arhin,, and Tetteh, Richard Oblitei. UNLOCKING ADAPTATION POTENTIAL. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2023. https://afripoli.org/projects/climate-adaptation/uploads/files/climate_adaptation_ghana_final_report.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Albert |first1=Arhin, |last2=Oblitei |first2=Tetteh, Richard |title=UNLOCKING ADAPTATION POTENTIAL |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=2023 |url=https://afripoli.org/projects/climate-adaptation/uploads/files/climate_adaptation_ghana_final_report.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{albert2023unlocking, author = {Albert, Arhin, and Oblitei, Tetteh, Richard}, title = {{UNLOCKING ADAPTATION POTENTIAL}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2023}, url = {https://afripoli.org/projects/climate-adaptation/uploads/files/climate_adaptation_ghana_final_report.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }