Climate change is affecting Ghana’s population by disrupting agricultural systems, flooding coastal areas, and lowering water levels around the Volta River delta, which provides around 80 per cent of the country’s electricity supply.

 

Although Ghana is endowed with abundant water resources, the availability of this vital resource is changing significantly each year. With distribution unequal across the country, the southwestern region is better watered than the coastal and northern parts. Whilst rainfall decreased by 20 per cent in the last 30 years, runoff diminished by 30 per cent. Annual rainfall totals are also marked to decrease by 9 to 27 per cent by the year 2100.

 

Historical data has shown that in the last 30 years Ghana experienced a sea-level rise of 2.1 mm per annum. Given that the vulnerability assessment was based on a global sea-level rise of 1 m by the year 2100, inundation of the coastal areas, coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion into surface and groundwater reservoirs are also real threats.

 

Largely, the nation subsists on agriculture and cocoa, which happens to be its main cash crop and is tantamount to 25 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP)). A recent government assessment showed that a sharp reduction of rainfall and runoff would reduce maize harvests. Thus, against a backdrop of drought and crop failures, Ghanaian farmers and pastoralists stand a real chance of losing their livelihoods should the problem worsen.

 

Subsequently, at the fifth session of the conference of parties (COP 15) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen, Denmark (December 2009), President John Evans Atta Mills pledged Ghana’s readiness to prepare its low emissions growth plan as well as finalise the national climate change adaptation strategy.

 

According to Ghana’s Environment, Science and Technology Minister, Hon. Sherry Ayitey, the promise of thirty billion (US $30bn) for the period 2010 to 2012 and another hundred billion annually by 2020 would enable Ghana to source funding for implementation of the adaptation and mitigation projects and programmes including disaster risk assessment and management, as well as the REDD-PLUS readiness plan.

 

FOCUS of WACDEP in GHANA

 

The inception phase will help design the detailed action for WCDP in Ghana in collaboration with the key stakeholders. The primary focus to be agreed through a launching meeting will include the follow up of the initiative for “Inventory of Local Population Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change: Best Practices and Experiences shared at Grassroots” initiated by Ghana CWP, starting with pilot activities at local level to improve climate resilience of the populations. Also, seeking for synergy and complementarities with the Volta Basin Development Challenges of the CPWF, using VBA and GWP platforms, and research results to inform decision-making processes will be essential.

Capacity building for IWRM will be one of the major components.

According to the National Integrated Water Resources Management Plan now under preparation by the Water Resources Commission the current weak response to adapt to climate variability and change should be overcome by measures and actions including:-

• monitoring climate elements and creating early warning systems;

• promoting community to national level approaches to adapt to climate change (adapts) e.g.:-

  • building small dams and dug outs,

  • constructing channel diversions,

  • establishing buffer zones,

  • constructing small scale irrigation systems,

  • controlling erosion

  • building flood control systems

for sustainable livelihoods use of water.

• developing scenarios for extreme water availability(floods and droughts), their impacts on the natural, socio-cultural, economic, institutional and governance environments and develop corresponding strategies to adapt, cope and achieve water security;

• strengthen institutional capacity for adaptation.