Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Ghana's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda

The document examines the gap between Ghana's national climate policies and the implementation of adaptation actions at the community level. It argues that transitioning from top-down dynamics to locally-led adaptation (LLA)—which empowers local actors to define and lead their own resilience strategies—can improve the effectiveness and sustainability of climate actions. Through three case studies in the Savannah, Upper East, and coastal regions, the brief demonstrates how LLA initiatives, such as organic shea processing, climate-smart agriculture, and nature-based coastal defenses, align with Ghana's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) while addressing local vulnerabilities. It highlights significant funding gaps, noting that Ghana's NDCs estimate adaptation costs between US $9.3 billion and US $15.5 billion by 2030, with the government able to provide only a quarter of this amount. The brief recommends that the Ghanaian government and international partners prioritize LLA to unlock climate finance and leverage local knowledge for more sustainable development.

• Ghana's updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) focuses on 13 specific adaptation measures within a total of 47 action programs, categorized under 19 priority actions.
• There is a substantial funding gap for climate adaptation in Ghana; while the NDCs estimate costs between US $9.3 billion and US $15.5 billion up to 2030, the government can only provide unconditional funding for approximately 25% of that estimate.

APA

Arhin, A., & Tetteh, R. O. (2024). Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Ghana's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/community-resilience-integrating-local-approaches-into-ghanas-climate-change-adaptation-agenda

Chicago

Arhin, Albert, and Richard Oblitei Tetteh. Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Ghana's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2024. https://afripoli.org/community-resilience-integrating-local-approaches-into-ghanas-climate-change-adaptation-agenda.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Arhin |first1=Albert |last2=Tetteh |first2=Richard Oblitei |title=Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Ghana's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=5 February 2024 |url=https://afripoli.org/community-resilience-integrating-local-approaches-into-ghanas-climate-change-adaptation-agenda |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{arhin2024community, author = {Arhin, Albert and Tetteh, Richard Oblitei}, title = {{Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Ghana's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://afripoli.org/community-resilience-integrating-local-approaches-into-ghanas-climate-change-adaptation-agenda}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }