Accra: The Office of the Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability, in partnership with the Global Centre for Climate Mobility, has engaged stakeholders in the Savannah Region to strengthen regional participation and promote collective action to address the impacts of climate change.
According to Ghana News Agency, the forum, held in Damongo, sought to shape climate policies, identify regional priorities, and equip Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies (MMDAs) with practical tools and support to develop bankable, investment-ready climate projects. It also focused on engaging the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) and MMDAs on the establishment of a Climate Change and Sustainability Hub and dedicated Climate Change and Sustainability Units at the local government level.
Participants included representatives from the RCC, Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Coordinating Directors, Development Planning Officers, and other government agencies. Mr. Seidu Issifu, Minister of State in-charge of Climate Change and Sustainability, highlighted the critical role of local government authorities in the country's climate response, emphasizing the need to empower them to implement locally-led solutions.
Mr. Issifu noted that while climate change is a global challenge, its effects on agricultural productivity, infrastructure, and water security are predominantly experienced at the community level. He explained that the government established the Office of the Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability to coordinate, mobilize, and deploy climate finance towards building a resilient, low-carbon nation and supporting Ghana to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement.
Mr. Issifu further revealed that an Inter-Ministerial and Agency Technical Working Group had been set up as a central mechanism to scale up national climate action for greater impact. He also mentioned plans to establish a Climate Change and Sustainability Hub to serve as the national focal point for climate solutions. The office aims to support MMDAs in creating dedicated Climate Change Units, providing technical and financial training, building strategic partnerships, and assisting in developing climate-resilient plans and budgets to unlock grants and investments.
Mr. Salisu Bi-Awuribe, the Savannah Regional Minister, raised concerns over the indiscriminate felling of trees for charcoal production in the region and indicated that MMDAs had been directed to review their by-laws to address illegal tree felling with serious punitive measures for offenders.
Ms. Nikki Stoumen, Project Coordinator at the Global Centre for Climate Mobility, expressed the organization's ambition to partner with the Ministry in developing a blueprint to complement Ghana's existing institutional and policy framework on climate action. She emphasized the necessity for stronger collaboration among stakeholders to develop solutions that would prevent further displacement, losses, and damages associated with climate change hazards.
Before the forum, the Minister of State in-charge of Climate Change and Sustainability paid a courtesy call on Yagbonwura Bii-Kunuto Jewu Soale, Overlord of the Gonja Traditional Area, at the Japka Palace in Damongo. The Global Centre for Climate Mobility is a United Nations-hosted global partnership that supports climate-vulnerable communities in planning for and adapting to climate-induced migration.