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

This policy brief describes a pilot study conducted as part of the Future Climate for Africa (FCFA) scoping phase to evaluate the use of medium to long-term climate information in Accra, Ghana, and Maputo, Mozambique. The study found that future climate projections are not routinely used in decision-making, which is instead driven by historical data and seasonal forecasts. The authors advocate for a 'co-exploration' approach that prioritizes place-based, multi-stressor vulnerability analysis—addressing socioeconomic and governance issues first—before integrating climate data to identify adaptation strategies.

• A pilot study conducted in Accra and Maputo revealed that future climate information is not directly utilized in the decision-making processes of either city.
• Decision-making in Accra and Maputo relies primarily on seasonal forecasts and historical climate data; projections for a 5–40 year timeframe are not used routinely, though they occasionally appear in consultancy reports.
• Both cities face significant non-climatic governance challenges that hinder development and climate planning, including perceived government corruption, lack of communication between departments, and poor law enforcement regarding building codes, particularly in informal settlements.
• The study emphasizes that climate change adaptation strategies can only be effectively identified by first acknowledging underlying socioeconomic vulnerabilities and non-climatic stressors.
• The lack of verified, complete historical climate records and the presence of temporal gaps in data are major obstacles to risk management and the scientific modelling of future climate projections in both cities.
• Proposed adaptation options for both cities include upgrading drainage systems (a long-term project requiring 5–40 years and significant investment) and implementing communication and education strategies (short-term projects requiring 1–5 years).
• The authors propose a five-step guiding principle for integrating climate information that prevents climate data from driving the analysis. The process involves identifying exposure units, identifying and ranking non-climate stressors, and only then determining if climate stressors increase overall stress before exploring adaptation options.

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} }