EU commends Ghana’s fight against effects of Climate Change

The European Union (EU) has commended Ghana for her commitment to the fight against the adverse effects of climate change.

Madam Diana Acconcia, EU head of Delegation to Ghana, said the Union was also stepping up in its engagement with Africa as Ghana continued to be on its top list of countries to benefit from its support.

According to her, this was as a result of the effective collaboration between the EU and Ghana.

Madam Acconcia was speaking at launch of Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) revision process via Zoom in Accra. The NDC’s of Ghana was submitted in September 2015 to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC).

This is in pursuant to Article 4.2 and 4.9 of the Paris Agreement. Under the agreement countries were required to provide updates by 2020 and after every five years.

Ghana’s NDC’s priority areas included sustainable land use including food security, climate proof infrastructure, equitable social development, sustainable mass transportation and energy security, forest management and alternative urban waste management.

The launch was jointly done by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Ministry of Environment Science and Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and its partners.

The NDC’s revision process seeks to strengthen and raise Ghana’s Climate Action ambition and to achieve low carbon emission development in the country.

Madam Acconcia said the EU countries were now looking for countries to invest more in their economies and Ghana was one of such countries.

Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, Minister of MESTI, who performed the launch, noted that Ghana’s NDC’s were critical and had consequences on Ghana’s economic fortunes.

According to Prof. Frimpong Boateng as a result of that, the country has constituted 31 mitigation and adaptation programmes in seven priority economic sectors such as agriculture, Energy, Forestry, health, Waste and Gender in order to achieve goals under the Paris Agreement.

He said government had committed various funds to support projects and programmes on Climate Change and attainment of Sustainable Development Goals in the North.

Additionally, the Minister noted that government had also invested about $50 million for alternative Livelihood programmes. “As part of the updates on Ghana’s NDC’s, there would be an inclusion of the use of technologies for low carbon emissions.”

He noted that launch of Ghana’s NDC’s demonstrated government’s commitment to build a climate resilient economy.

According to him, the successful implementation of Ghana’s NDC’s would depend on relevant stakeholders, Civil Society Organisations, MMDA’s, explaining that NDC’s were developmental issues which could impact on the pursuit of the SDG’s.

Mr. Collins Augustine Ntim, a deputy Minister of Local Government Rural Development, called for more funding to enable MMDA’s carry out their climate Change programmes since adverse effects of Climate change affect the livelihood of the people.