Ghana must deepen climate negotiations to secure global funding – Vice President

Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang has urged Ghana to strengthen its participation in international climate negotiations to secure greater access to global climate financing.

She noted that African countries continue to suffer the worst effects of climate change despite contributing the least to global greenhouse gas emissions.

Speaking during a visit to the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) on Monday, July 13, 2026, the Vice President stressed the need for Ghana to remain actively engaged in global climate discussions while positioning itself to benefit from international funding opportunities for climate adaptation and resilience.

“Although Africa contributes minimally to global emissions, the continent bears a disproportionate share of the consequences. This underscores the need for Ghana to continue engaging strongly in international climate negotiations while positioning itself to benefit from global climate financing,” she said.

After receiving a briefing from the acting minister, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, and MESTI’s management, the Vice President emphasized that effective environmental governance requires more than policy formulation.

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She said strong implementation, monitoring, and evaluation were essential to ensure government interventions deliver tangible benefits to citizens.

She also highlighted the importance of science and public education in promoting environmental responsibility, particularly in the wake of recent flooding across parts of the country.

“Science is universal and affects every aspect of our national development. For that reason, public education is of the utmost importance. Enforcement of laws must be complemented by sustained public education to encourage responsible behaviour and compliance,” she added.

The Environment Ministry outlined progress on key initiatives, including implementation of the Circular Economy Policy on plastics, promotion of green jobs and clean cooking technologies, advances in electronic waste management, climate-smart agricultural research, stronger environmental regulation and efforts to establish a Ghana Space Agency.

It also cited inadequate funding, shortages of scientific personnel, ageing laboratory infrastructure and the need to strengthen environmental legislation as major challenges.

The Vice President further called for stronger collaboration among government institutions to boost local manufacturing, commercialise research, create jobs and advance the government’s industrialisation agenda, while reaffirming its commitment to protecting public lands from encroachment.

DR/SA

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