CLIP, EPA hold Northern Ghana launch of National Adaptation Plan
Changing Lives in Innovative Partnerships (CLIP), in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), has launched the Northern Ghana phase of the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) to strengthen climate resilience and reduce vulnerability among communities.
The launch aimed to enhance awareness, promote local ownership and deepen multi-stakeholder commitment to implementing climate adaptation strategies, particularly among smallholder farmers, youth and decentralised government institutions.
Held in Tamale, the event brought together farmers, civil society organisations, representatives of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), research and academic institutions, youth, women’s groups and persons with disabilities.
Lukman Yussif, Director of CLIP, described the initiative as timely due to the growing impact of climate change on livelihoods in northern Ghana.
“We are gathered at a critical moment. Climate change continues to pose significant threats to agricultural productivity, livelihoods and overall resilience in northern Ghana,” he said.
The NAP is Ghana’s long-term strategic framework to address climate vulnerabilities and build resilience across sectors such as agriculture, water resources, health and infrastructure.
Developed under the leadership of the EPA and the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology Ghana, it provides a coordinated roadmap for adapting to climate impacts and safeguarding livelihoods. It was finalised and launched in Accra last year.
Mr Yussif noted that while Ghana had made progress in developing climate policies, successful implementation of the NAP would depend on active participation from stakeholders, including regional and district authorities, civil society, farmer groups, youth and development partners.
He said CLIP, through its Empowerment for Life Programme, contributed to the NAP’s development by conducting vulnerability assessments across 13 districts, capturing climate risks faced by smallholder farmers.
“These insights have helped shape more farmer-responsive elements within the NAP, reinforcing the need for policies to reflect local realities,” he added.
Abdullah Mohammed, Technical Advisor for Food Security, Climate Change and Resilience under the programme, said the launch was to ensure stakeholders understood and took ownership of the NAP for effective community-level implementation.
He noted that integrating the NAP into MMDA medium-term development plans and ensuring adequate resourcing would improve soil fertility, increase crop yields and enhance livelihoods.
Antwi-Boasiako Amoah of the NAP Secretariat at EPA outlined key priorities including awareness creation, resource mobilisation, capacity building and stronger district-level coordination.
He stressed the need to educate vulnerable populations and intensify capacity-building programmes to equip MMDAs for effective climate action, while improving coordination to enhance impact.
Osman Tahiru Damba, Secretary-General of the Ghana Commission for UNESCO, called for a shift towards identifying opportunities within climate change.
“Climate change has come to stay with us; what is critical now is to convert challenges into opportunities and business solutions,” he said.
Source: GNA