Ghana’s National Adaptation Plan Framework

The Ghana National Adaptation Plan Framework establishes a coordinated, sectoral-based approach to climate adaptation. Led by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the framework aims to integrate climate resilience into national development planning, engage the private sector, and ensure gender-responsive and community-based adaptation strategies across key sectors including agriculture, water, and health.

• Ghana's current adaptation efforts are characterized as "disjointed and mostly reactive," necessitating a framework that addresses adaptation needs in a "coherent and coordinated manner."
• The proposed NAP process adopts a sectoral- and district-focused approach. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will coordinate the overarching national plan with priorities for sectors such as agriculture, forestry, water, energy, gender, and health, while the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) will manage district-level mainstreaming.
• Private sector involvement in climate adaptation in Ghana is currently limited due to an "unfriendly business environment," high interest rates, and a lack of capacity to create "bankable proposals for funding."
• The framework emphasizes a gender-responsive approach to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on women, noting that women in northern Ghana are particularly vulnerable due to "extreme poverty and sociocultural factors including land tenure insecurity."
• The NAP process will prioritize Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) to protect marine, aquatic, and forest resources, which are critical for marginalized households. This aligns the NAP with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
• To avoid "maladaptive outcomes" resulting from short-term fixes, the NAP will shift toward a long-term view, integrating adaptation into medium- and long-term development priorities.
• The framework identifies a need to blend scientific data with local indigenous knowledge, noting that traditional models for climate forecasting are often "relatively cheaper than the use of foreign technology."
• Proposed institutional arrangements place the National Climate Change Committee (NCCC) in a strategic supervisory role, with the EPA providing technical coordination and the NDPC leading monitoring and evaluation.
• Resource mobilization for the NAP will target domestic and international sources, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the proposed "Ghana Green Fund," which aims to leverage private sector finance.

APA

NAP Global Network (2018). Ghana’s National Adaptation Plan Framework. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/napgn-en-2018-ghana-nap-framework.pdf

Chicago

NAP Global Network. Ghana’s National Adaptation Plan Framework. 2018. https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/napgn-en-2018-ghana-nap-framework.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=NAP Global Network |title=Ghana’s National Adaptation Plan Framework |date=October 2018 |url=https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/napgn-en-2018-ghana-nap-framework.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{napglobalnetwork2018ghanas, author = {{NAP Global Network}}, title = {{Ghana’s National Adaptation Plan Framework}}, institution = {NAP Global Network}, year = {2018}, month = oct, url = {https://napglobalnetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/napgn-en-2018-ghana-nap-framework.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }