Ghana has called for fairer access to climate finance, debt relief measures and stronger international partnerships to help vulnerable countries address climate change and support economic development.

Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Seidu Issifu, made the call at the 17th Vulnerable Twenty (V20) Ministerial Dialogue in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 12, 2026.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group.

Issifu said countries undertaking difficult economic reforms, including debt restructuring, should not be denied access to concessional financing.

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“Doing the difficult but necessary thing should open doors, not close them,” he said.

He called on development partners to introduce financing arrangements that would allow countries recovering from debt difficulties to access funding on more favourable terms, including longer repayment periods and gradual adjustments to borrowing costs.

He also urged reforms to sovereign credit ratings to ensure they fairly reflect improvements in countries’ economic conditions following debt restructuring.

On the link between debt and climate change, Issifu called for debt-for-resilience arrangements, climate-resilient clauses in new lending agreements and debt assessments that recognise investments in climate resilience as contributors to economic growth.

He also endorsed the proposed V20 Lifeline Fund, a South-South financing mechanism intended to provide quick financial support to countries affected by climate-related disasters.

He urged V20 members to build consensus towards establishing the fund and called on the Group of Seven (G7) and Group of Twenty (G20) to support the initiative.

Issifu further called for greater direct access to climate finance, including a proposal to double the number of V20 entities accredited to the Green Climate Fund by 2027.

The dialogue brought together V20 leaders, ministers from climate-vulnerable countries and representatives of the IMF, World Bank Group and other development finance institutions to discuss the Vulnerability to Viability (V2V) Compact.

Participants included Barbados’ Prime Minister and Chair of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20, Mia Amor Mottley, and Ambassador Elizabeth Thompson.

Issifu said Ghana remained committed to partnerships that deliver practical development results, adding that vulnerable economies needed investment partners with a shared interest in their success rather than charity.





Story by Mawuli Ahorlumegah, reporting from 2026 the IMF/World Bank Annual Meetings in Thailand, Bangkok