Stakeholders calls for stronger climate governance, political action to address climate challenges

Stakeholders at the Ghana Climate Dialogue have called for robust inclusive climate governance frameworks and strengthened political action to tackle increasing environmental and climate challenges threatening Ghana’s sustainable development.

The dialogue, organised by Climate Voice Global and supported by the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) and the Embassy of Denmark under the theme “Bridging Community Awareness, Policy Governance, and Political Action,” brought together over 120 participants, including government officials, civil society organisations, youth, women’s groups, researchers, and climate activists and sought to among other things strengthen climate reporting and governance in Ghana.

The Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Issifu Seidu, announced that the government would soon introduce a National Sustainability Index to assess and rank organizations, companies, and government agencies on their environmental performance.

According to him, the upcoming Sustainability Index would serve as a benchmark to measure the environmental performance of various entities in Ghana adding that the Index would evaluate organizations based on a sustainability scorecard covering energy efficiency, waste management, and environmental stewardship.

"This ranking system will not only encourage accountability but also track our collective progress toward sustainability," the Minister said, calling for collaboration among all stakeholders to ensure its success.

He assured that the government was focused on simultaneously addressing environmental challenges while building a resilient and prosperous economy while outlining several key focus areas, including a commitment to scaling up renewable energy technologies such as solar and biomass to help Ghana transition from fossil fuels while creating green jobs.

Mr. Daryl Bosu, speaking on behalf of the project partners, stressed the urgent need for political action to drive effective climate solutions in response to Ghana’s worsening environmental challenges.

Citing examples such as coastal land loss in the Volta Region and recurring floods in urban areas, he highlighted the severe impact of climate change on local communities and the pressing need for intervention while reaffirming the Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana)’s commitment to ensuring that the dialogue’s outcomes lead to meaningful and positive changes for affected communities, rather than remaining as mere policy discussions.

Desmond Appiah, Country Manager of the Clean Air Fund, noted that 80% of Accra operates informally, yet most policies and regulations are designed for the formal sector and cautioned that excluding informal populations from climate interventions would undermine their success.

“If we keep designing policies that only serve the formal 20%, we are planning to fail. Accra is informal, and we must plan for it,” he emphasised.

Mr. Appiah emphasized the role of international development partnerships, like those with the Clean Air Fund, in advancing Ghana’s climate agenda. He said such collaborations should focus on research to understand local needs and design interventions that address real challenges, particularly in public health and environmental sustainability.

"Our partnerships must not only be about funding but also about building knowledge and momentum to shift both policy and implementation toward climate resilience," he stated.

The dialogue also convened a panel of experts who delved into the complexities of local adaptation, emphasizing the need for better knowledge systems, social inclusion and gender considerations for local, national and political action to address climate challenges. A key takeaway was the consensus on the need to bridge the gap between inclusive policy-making and ground-level implementation, leveraging principles of inclusivity for policy design and action.

Climate Voice Global, organisers of the Ghana Climate Dialogue, emphasised the need for ongoing collaboration and sustained efforts in tackling Ghana’s climate challenges highlighting that the Dialogue marked the beginning of a long-term commitment to strengthening climate resilience and governance.

Stakeholders developed strategies to enhance Ghana’s climate governance, which will be compiled into the "People’s Call for Urgent and Inclusive Action on Climate Change" and submitted to the Minister to inform national climate policies.