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Ghana NCAP Project

The NCAP funded project in Ghana was implemented over the course of three years in two phases. The aim of the program’s contribution of technical and financial assistance was to strengthen national capacity in Ghana to respond to the challenges of climate change. Since climate variability and climate change had not been seriously addressed in national policymaking dialogues at the time the study was launched, there has been growing concern that climate change could undermine national poverty reduction strategies and render development targets unmet.

A Ghanaian girl waits to sell water in the northern city of Tamale. RCredit: REUTERS/Finbarr O’Reill

Project Objectives

The NCAP funded project in Ghana was implemented over the course of three years in two separate phases. The aim of the program’s contribution of technical and financial assistance was to strengthen national capacity in Ghana to respond to the challenges of climate change. Since climate variability and climate change had not been seriously addressed in national policymaking dialogues at the time the study was launched, there has been growing concern that climate change could undermine national poverty reduction strategies and render development targets unmet.

The ultimate objective of the Ghanaian proposal therefore was the formulation of climate change policies that are consistent with the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS), thus facilitating the mainstreaming of these policies into district as well national development plans.

Phase I

The focus of Phase I activities was on sectoral vulnerability and adaptation assessments. These studies explored vulnerability in relation to a set of climate change scenarios (changes in temperature, precipitation etc.), and proposed adaptation strategies to build resilience against threats associated with climatic variability and change. The following sectors were addressed: human health, fisheries, land management and agriculture (emphasis on cocoa production and root crops such as yam, cocoyam and cassava). A cross-sectoral impact analysis was conducted to assess the extent to which, if any, the proposed sector-specific adaptation strategies reinforced or undermined adaptation objectives of other sector-level activity.

Phase II

The focus of Phase II activities was mainstreaming adaptation concerns into national policy development and project planning. Throughout Phase II, several workshops on cross-sectoral impact analysis and national criteria development and prioritization were held, together with a national stakeholder forum on climate change. These workshops helped to strengthen national capacity regarding the methods and tools for prioritization of adaptation options, as well as integrating stakeholder contributions regarding adaptation strategies/options that were developed during Phase I. Phase II activities were planned to converge on inputs to national adaptation policy and this strong policy-focus is reflected in project outputs.

The project carried out in Ghana under the Netherlands Climate Assistance Program (NCAP) aimed at exploring the linkages between poverty alleviation, climate change, and adaptation responses with a goal to develop a national approach to mainstream climate change concerns into ongoing development efforts.

Back to: Netherlands Climate Assistance Programme (NCAP)

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