Next round of NDCs should start from the local government level

Hajia Alima Mahama, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development has said the next time Ghana is developing the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to fight climate change it should be done at the local level before moving to the national level.

This would enable the voices of the people to be well captured in the policy decisions and make it easier to work with.

She said it was difficult when contributions were developed at the national level before moving down to the local level.

Hajia Mahama told the media at the on-going Climate Chance Summit Africa 2019 which is on the theme: ‘Stepping Up Local Climate Action in Africa.”

The summit featured the conference of covenant of Mayors for Sub-Saharan Africa; Towards the Institutionalisation of Local Climate Action and Access to Finance.

It brought together Mayors from various countries to deliberate the need to actions of local governments in to the national policy documents for the fight against the effects of climate change.

She said the Ministry of Environment Science, Technology and Innovation had developed a platform, linking up with local authorities and strengthening the platform through dialogue.

We need all actors to put in their perspectives that will be documented for implementation and see how the challenges would be addressed.

Hajia Mahama emphasised the need for a dedicated climate funding source to be supported with local government to carry out their plans to combat climate change.

She said the summit has served as a platform, where issues discussed will be presented at the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Mr Collins Ntim Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development said issues affecting Africans must be addressed by African but first of all the people at the local level need to appreciate and understand the climate change issues, adding that some attitudes could be behavioral.

Mr Ntim noted that accessing climate finance is a challenge, adding however that there are various avenues through which finance could be sourced for the actions at the local government levels.

He indicated however that the avenues were peanuts and needed to develop the capacities of the local actors and non-state actors to be able to source the funds.

Mr Nbou Mohammed, Head of the Climate TaskForce of UGLG Africa said the problem was not the money, but the people to bring bankable projects that were clean.