A project to ensure effective national planning by mainstreaming climate change adaptation measures into development activities in the country has been launched in Accra.
Known as Ghana National Adaptation Plan, GNAP, it will provide the needed platform for dialogue on evidence-based policy decisions and appropriate adaptation measures to be implemented in seven sectors of the economy.
The sectors include agriculture, forestry, energy and health. At the launch of the project in Accra, the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation Prof Kwabena Frimpong- Boateng said the country is severely impacted by climate change due to the agrarian nature of the economy adding that putting in place policies to respond to the threats will translate the risks to opportunities.
He referred to data from Ghana Meteorological Agency, dated back to the 1960s which indicates that the country’s average temperature has risen more than 1-degree Celcius. He attributed the freshwater scarcity in drought striken areas to the extreme weather pattern, saying this affects food production.
Along the coast, temperature rise is the cause of sea erosion of communities. This Prof Frimpong- Boateng said threatens strategic national assets like harbours and other investments including oil rigs.
He said the NAP process will address the impacts of climate change from a more integrated, coordinated and sustainable manner. The Minister for Planning, Prof Gyan- Baffour acknowledged that some efforts have been made in mainstreaming adaptation measures in planning and budget processes at the national level, gaps still exist in climate science and its impact on development plans.
He called for climate science analysis in the NAP process for national development.
The Project Coordinator of NAP, Dr Antwi Boasiako Amoah said the process will include stocktaking of available information on the impacts of climate change, vulnerability and adaptation as well as addressing weaknesses in undertaking the NAP process at sectors and district levels.
The three-year process is funded with 2- point – 97 million dollars from the Green Climate Fund, GCF is under the Ministry of Finance. In view of this, a National Designated Authority of the fund will have oversight responsibility for the process through monitoring and evaluation.
This is to ensure that the objectives of the project are achieved.
Story filed by: Joyce Gyekye
