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Sunday, November 10, 2013

Ghana Launches Climate Change Policy Document Soon

 Accra-Ghana: The goverment of Ghana led by the president John Draimani Mahama would soon launch the national climate policy guide document as part of efforts to build national resilience to reduce vulnerabilities. Ghana is among the fewer Africa nations that developed climate change policy guidelines to help in adaptation resilience building.

This policy was prepared in collaboration with the civil society organizations. The floods that wrecked northern Ghana in 2008 followed by prolonged drought served basis for national response. These floods claimed many lives destroyed properties and including farms and displaced thousands of the poor and vulnerable.

The Director incharge of Environment and Climate Change  at the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Mr. Fredua Agyemeng who made this known during a learning and sharing forum on climate change organised by CARE International in Accra said the policy contained effective adaptation guideline, social intervention and mitigation plans.
When launched the policy would be integrated into the national development plan both at the national and local levels, he said.

The workshop dubbed learning and sharing forum on climate change adaptation was aimed to deliberate and reflect on the activities of Care International community adaptation and make recommendations and changes if the need be.

It brought over hundred participants from the civil society organizations working in the area of climate change, sanitation, environment, development and livelihood and empowerment.
He hinted that anytime soon the president would outdoor the policy and demand the mainstreaming of the policy in all development planning both at national a.nd local levels. He said the proposed action plans are backed by budgetary allocations.

Mr. Agyemeng said the policy prioritized energy, infrastructure,  natural resources management and disaster risks reduction and preparedness as adaptation process.

Ghana he said is among the few African countries to draft climate change adaptation policy and that government was ready to put the plan into action to help reduce vulnerabilities at both communities and national levels.

The about 60 page policy document the Director disclosed focuses on building climate resilience in agriculture, food security, and disaster reduction and responsive plans, energy and infrastructure.

The government he said is involving all the 216 Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Assemblies planning officers to ensure that climate policies are integrated into the local development plans.

Mr. Agyemeng said the only way to reduce the government expenditure in repairing infrastructure was to develop climate resilience economy.

He stressed that the impact of climate change on social, economic, and infrastructure development would be greatly felt in the near future. The policy he said is the responses to climate change policy.

The country Director of Care International Mr. Phil Christensen said the impact of climate change would be unbearable if nothing is done.

He said Care International was working in collaboration with other organizations to influence policy at the national level.

He said Care has developed community climate change adaptation and other learning  models at the community level. He urged effective collaboration between the government, civil society organizations working in the area of climate change.
He observed that climate change is a new phenomenon that experts in the field to help in adaptation process.

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