The Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Seidu Issifu, has called for a stronger investment partnership between China and the Climate Vulnerable Forum–V20 (CVF-V20), urging Chinese public and private sector institutions to move beyond conventional trade and invest directly in climate-resilient and low-carbon development across vulnerable economies.
He made the call at a high-level CVF-V20–China dialogue held at the Shougang International Convention and Exhibition Center in Beijing as part of the China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) 2026.
The dialogue, held under the theme “Mobilizing Investment for Energy Security and Climate Prosperity,” brought together government representatives, investors, financial institutions, businesses and development partners from China and CVF-V20 countries.
The engagement focused on translating Climate Prosperity Plans into concrete investment opportunities, with three priority areas of cooperation: electrotech and green industrialisation; resilient infrastructure and water security; and climate-smart agriculture and value chains.
Speaking at the dialogue, Seidu Issifu said the CVF-V20 was approaching China with investment opportunities and country-owned development pipelines rather than a request for assistance.
“We come to CIFTIS 2026 with a clear proposition, not a plea,” he said.
He said the 74-member CVF-V20 represented a significant and growing market for clean technologies, supported by abundant renewable resources, strategic geographical locations, expanding markets and a young workforce.
According to the Minister, China’s leadership in clean technology, manufacturing, infrastructure development and green industrialisation placed it in a strong position to partner with climate-vulnerable countries to transform these opportunities into commercially viable investments.
He said the immediate task was to move from Climate Prosperity Plans to bankable projects supported by technology, finance, industrial capacity and strong institutional partnerships.
Ghana’s Climate Prosperity Plan
Seidu Issifu highlighted Ghana’s revised Climate Prosperity Plan (CPP) as an example of how climate priorities could be transformed into an investment and financing framework.
The plan focuses on six priority areas: sustainable industrialisation and value addition; accelerated renewable energy and green transport; climate-resilient health and water infrastructure; financial and economic resilience; sustainable food systems; and nature-based solutions.
He said the plan was supported by innovative financing approaches, including debt-for-climate swaps, Article 6 carbon market transactions, blended finance, partial credit guarantees and first-loss capital, aimed at attracting private investment.
The Minister said these instruments could help bridge financing gaps and connect Ghana’s climate priorities with Chinese investment, technology and industrial expertise.
He identified three major areas where Ghana could deepen cooperation with Chinese investors.
The first is electrotech and green industrialisation, particularly renewable energy, energy storage and green manufacturing.
He pointed to Ghana’s strong solar resource, especially in the northern parts of the country, and highlighted opportunities in the local assembly of solar systems, battery storage, mini-grids and solar-powered productive-use equipment.
He called on Chinese state-owned enterprises, financial institutions and private companies to consider establishing production and assembly operations in Ghana rather than limiting their engagement to the export of equipment.
The second area is resilient infrastructure and water security.
The Minister said Ghana faced increasing risks from droughts and floods and required investment in resilient water systems, flood-resilient sanitation, early warning systems, climate-resilient infrastructure and the climate-proofing of critical infrastructure.
The third area is climate-smart agriculture and value chains.
He highlighted investment opportunities in solar-powered irrigation, cold storage, agro-processing parks, agricultural value addition, export-oriented production and nature-based solutions.
Such investments, he said, could reduce post-harvest losses, improve food security, create jobs, strengthen rural economies and increase Ghana’s participation in higher-value export markets.
Four areas of cooperation
Seidu Issifu proposed four key areas of cooperation between Ghana, the CVF-V20 and China.
First, he called for joint ventures and local assembly rather than trade alone.
He invited Chinese companies and financial institutions to co-invest with Ghana and other CVF-V20 economies in local manufacturing, particularly in areas such as solar components, electric mobility, batteries and agro-processing equipment.
Second, he proposed a joint CVF-V20–China Project Preparation Facility to help transform climate priorities into investment-ready projects and address the high cost of project preparation and financing confronting many vulnerable economies.
He encouraged Chinese development finance institutions and private banks to explore blended finance instruments, including partial guarantees and subordinated debt, to reduce the cost of capital.
Third, Ghana called for deeper technology transfer and institutional partnerships.
Seidu Issifu cited potential collaboration between Ghana’s EPA Carbon Market Office and institutions such as the Beijing Green Exchange, as well as technical cooperation in digital measurement, reporting and verification, electricity-grid systems and water management.
He said such partnerships should extend beyond the transfer of equipment to include knowledge-sharing, institutional capacity-building and technology development.
The fourth pillar is the establishment of standing mechanisms for continuity to ensure that cooperation extends beyond CIFTIS 2026.
Ghana supported the establishment of three sector-based cooperation windows, each co-anchored by a lead V20 country and a Chinese partner institution, focusing on green industrialisation, resilient infrastructure and water security, and climate-smart agriculture and value chains.
Strengthening climate governance
The Minister also highlighted Ghana’s efforts to strengthen climate governance and investment planning at the sub-national level.
He disclosed that his office was undertaking nationwide consultations towards securing Cabinet approval for a proposed sub-national coordination mechanism through Climate Change and Sustainability Units.
The proposed mechanism is expected to strengthen the capacity of local government authorities to identify climate risks, integrate climate considerations into development plans and budgets, and develop investment opportunities tailored to local climate and development challenges.
He said the consultations had already revealed significant demand across the three proposed China–CVF-V20 cooperation windows.
Towards a new model of South-South cooperation
Seidu Issifu said the China–CVF-V20 partnership presented an opportunity to establish a new model of South-South cooperation based on investment, mutual benefit and shared prosperity.
He said while climate shocks, energy insecurity and high financing costs posed significant challenges to vulnerable economies, they also presented opportunities for investment and economic transformation.
“Ghana and the CVF-V20 bring the demand, the country-owned pipelines anchored in Climate Prosperity Plans, and sovereign counterparties,” he said, adding that China brings “technology, industrial capacity and finance.”
He called for CIFTIS to serve as a platform for advancing a United South-South Cooperation Agenda for Shared Prosperity, anchored in country ownership, transparency, mutual benefit and practical implementation.
Ghana’s participation in the dialogue further strengthens the country’s position in the emerging China–CVF-V20 climate investment partnership, particularly as host of the CVF-V20 Secretariat.
The engagement provides an opportunity to position Ghana’s Climate Prosperity Plan as an investment pipeline and connect national priorities in renewable energy, green industrialisation, resilient infrastructure, water security, agriculture and climate finance with Chinese technology, capital and industrial expertise.
The Minister’s intervention reinforced Ghana’s position that climate action should increasingly be viewed not only as an environmental responsibility but also as an economic transformation and investment agenda capable of creating jobs, strengthening resilience and driving sustainable development.
Following the CIFTIS dialogue, attention will turn to matching identified opportunities with investors, developing investment-ready projects and establishing institutional arrangements to deliver measurable outcomes for Ghana and other climate-vulnerable economies.