The National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) is Ghana’s integrated response to climate change. It has been prepared and designed within the context of national sustainable development priorities; it provides a clearly defined pathway for dealing with the challenges of climate change within the current socio-economic context of Ghana, and looks ahead to the opportunities and benefits of a green economy.
Ghana’s policy response to climate change is in three phases: Phase one, the NCCP presents the policy, analyses the current situation, and gives the broad policy vision and objectives; Phase two presents, in greater detail, the initiatives and programmes identified in the NCCP in the form of an Action Programme for implementation; and Phase three will detail how climate change programmes and actions identified in phase two can be mainstreamed and embedded in a time-bound and budgeted manner, into annual work plans of implementing units.
The National Climate Change Policy provides strategic direction and coordinates issues of climate change in Ghana. The three objectives of the Policy are (1) effective adaptation, (2) social development and (3) mitigation. To address the adaptation issues in Ghana, four thematic areas have been identified. These are (1) energy and infrastructure, (2) natural resources management, (3) agriculture and food security, and (4) disaster preparedness and response.
The objectives of the policy can only be reached with appropriate systems in place. Progress towards the objectives rest on seven systemic pillars, these are; (1) governance and coordination, (2)capacity-building, (3) science, technology and innovation, (4) finance, (5) international cooperation, (6) information, communication and education, (7) monitoring and reporting.
The NCCP has prioritized five (5) main Areas: (i) Agriculture and Food Security; (ii) Disaster Preparedness and Response; (iii) Natural Resource Management; (iv) Equitable Social Development; (v) Energy, Industrial and Infrastructural Development.