Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in coastal Ghana and Mozambique

A pilot study in Accra and Maputo found that future climate information is not directly used in city planning, as socioeconomic vulnerabilities and governance issues currently outweigh climate concerns. The authors propose a 'co-exploration' approach that prioritises non-climatic stressors before integrating climate data to avoid over-weighting climate sensitivity in decision-making. Key barriers to science uptake include sparse and unverified historical observational data. Proposed adaptation options for both cities include upgrading drainage systems and improving urban planning and building code enforcement.

• A pilot study indicates that future climate information is not currently being directly utilised for planning or development in Accra or Maputo.
• Socioeconomic and governance issues—including corruption, lack of law enforcement for building codes, and poor communication between government departments—are primary drivers of vulnerability and act as major obstacles to climate change planning.
• Decision-makers in both cities rely primarily on seasonal forecasts and historical climate data; projections for the 5–40-year timeframe are not routinely used, though they occasionally appear in consultancy reports.
• The uptake of climate science is hindered by sparse observational data, temporal gaps in historical records, and a lack of data verification, which complicates robust future modelling.
• The authors advocate for a 'co-exploration' decision-making process that identifies and ranks non-climate stressors before introducing climate information to ensure that climate data does not inappropriately drive the analysis.
• Identified adaptation strategies for both cities include long-term infrastructure projects like upgrading drainage systems (5–40 years) and shorter-term interventions such as improving communication, education, and building code enforcement (1–5 years).

APA

Steynor, A., Jack, C., Padgham, J., & Bharwani, S. (2015). Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in coastal Ghana and Mozambique. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FCFA_PolicyBrief_Accra-Maputo_WEB1.pdf

Chicago

Steynor, Anna, Chris Jack, Jon Padgham, and Sukaina Bharwani. Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in coastal Ghana and Mozambique. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, 2015. http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FCFA_PolicyBrief_Accra-Maputo_WEB1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Steynor |first1=Anna |last2=Jack |first2=Chris |last3=Padgham |first3=Jon |last4=Bharwani |first4=Sukaina |title=Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in coastal Ghana and Mozambique |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |date=January 2015 |url=http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FCFA_PolicyBrief_Accra-Maputo_WEB1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{steynor2015using, author = {Steynor, Anna and Jack, Chris and Padgham, Jon and Bharwani, Sukaina}, title = {{Using climate information to achieve long-term development objectives in coastal Ghana and Mozambique}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2015}, month = jan, url = {http://cdkn.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/FCFA_PolicyBrief_Accra-Maputo_WEB1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }