Stakeholders validate baseline climate governance report in Accra

Stakeholders from across the country have converged  on Accra to review and validate the findings of a baseline assessment report aimed at strengthening climate governance in selected districts. 

The report, developed by the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), now known as Transparency International (TI-Ghana) assesses citizens’ knowledge, awareness and uptake of climate policies as well as the involvement of local stakeholders in West Gonja Municipality and Obuasi East District.

The baseline study, part of the project “Strengthening Climate Governance through Social Accountability and Citizen-Focused Local Climate Initiatives”, was supported by the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP). The 12-month initiative seeks to empower communities to hold policymakers accountable and build resilience against growing climate challenges.

The project includes the development of a practical manual on climate change and social accountability for community stakeholders.

It is to deliver a comprehensive report with actionable recommendations to enhance citizen knowledge, policy uptake and stakeholder involvement to improve overall climate governance in the targeted districts. 

Commitment

The Executive Director of the GII, Mary Awelana Addah, reaffirmed GII’s commitment to addressing corruption and promoting effective climate governance through evidence-based advocacy and inclusive participation.

She emphasised the timeliness and importance of addressing these issues, saying that “You cannot simply instruct people to do the work and publish results without expert input and verification. We need a credible report that will serve all Ghanaians.”

Mrs Addah underscored the link between climate challenges and Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal 16 on peace, justice, and strong institutions. “Climate issues are intertwined with poverty, education, health, and gender equality,” she said.

She thanked ACEP for its continued support.

Human activities

The Project Coordinator at TI-Ghana, Michael H. Okai, emphasised that human activities such as farming, fossil fuel use, deforestation and unregulated mining—especially in protected forest areas have been identified as major contributors to climate change.

“Ghana’s heavy reliance on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, fisheries and forestry places the country in a vulnerable position,” he said.

Mr Okai announced a national forum in May to discuss sustainable climate strategies and stressed the importance of community feedback.

“This validation meeting ensures credibility and promotes ownership of the findings,” he said.

The lead researcher and academic consultant , Prof. Emmanuel Tenkorang, called for greater community participation, especially in urban and mining areas.

He called for more inclusive engagement by development partners to ensure meaningful local ownership of climate adaptation initiatives.

Prof Tenkorang stressed the need for grassroots participation and climate-friendly livelihoods in the fight against environmental degradation.

He emphasised the need to integrate local knowledge into national strategies and advocated for sustainable energy alternatives.

The study, he said, revealed five key challenges: low literacy, weak enforcement of natural resource regulations, high poverty, inadequate funding for district assemblies, and limited social accountability awareness.

Despite these efforts, Prof. Tenkorang said there was limited collaboration between local governments and NGOs, saying ,”Multi-sectoral cooperation must be strengthened at the local level for meaningful progress.”

Findings

The study found that both Wassa East and West Gonja face similar climate threats such as deforestation, bushfires, and illegal mining. 

In West Gonja, widespread charcoal production exacerbates bushfires and logging.

Also , West Gonja had a higher climate awareness rate (69.7 per cent ) than Obuasi East (13.3 per cent ), largely due to firsthand experiences.

On climate change indicators, institutional respondents pointed to a change in the duration of rainfall as the most prominent sign of climate shifts, followed by increased droughts, temperature variations, irregular sunshine, and erratic wind patterns.

Bushfires, forest degradation, unregulated logging and charcoal production  were identified as major contributors causes of climate change in the West Gonja District, while Obuasi municipalities faced challenges related to forest degradation, land degradation , and mining.

Communities are responding with adaptive strategies, such as planting shade trees, adjusting planting schedules, and preserving natural habitats.

West Gonja also showed more nature-based interventions from NGOs like World Vision and ARocha Shea.