Changing rainfall patterns, higher temperatures and raising sea-levels are just some of the impacts of climate change hobbling Ghana’s largely agrarian economy, which is primarily powered by small-holder farmers using rainfed agriculture. The Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility is being rolled out to six districts, with a further four districts in the coming year, to tackle the impacts of climate change where it’s needed most – at the local level.

The UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in Ghana is helping communities manage the risk and build resilience to climate change using the LoCAL mechanism which has been integrated into the European Union-funded Boosting GrEEn Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) project.

The GrEEn project, which is in its third year of implementation is contributing to addressing the root causes of irregular migration by supporting sustainable and climate resilient local economies, green jobs and development in regions of departure, transit and return. The project also aims to create local financial ecosystems that facilitate the development of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and enable the transition of local economies to green and climate resilient development.

Using the LoCAL mechanism under the GrEEn project, UNCDF is working with the Ministry of Local Government, Decentralisation and Rural Development in Ghana which initially identified six municipalities and districts in the Ashanti and Western Regions most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and in need of urgent attention.

Using a bottom-up collaborative approach, representatives from the local assemblies together with UNCDF technical staff identify climate risks, which would be assessed based on a set criteria including the level of vulnerability faced by the community and the number of people affected, among others. Together, the local government authorities and technical experts draft a list of eligible investments using the investment menu designed for Ghana as a guide, that best meets immediate needs and would be resilient to projected climatic changes.
Once the priority investments are drafted, community members and traditional leaders take part in the consultation and sensitization sessions to discuss to eventually select the choice of project and ensure it best meets the community’s needs.

“It is important that community members are consulted in the process as they are the ones that are affected by the effects of climate change. The consultation is also necessary to get their buy-in and support before implementation of the climate resilient infrastructures commence,” says Angela Yayra Kwashie, UNCDF Technical Specialist (Local Government Finance).

With everyone agreed on a course of action, the real work gets underway. And in Ghana, it’s the local residents themselves that are offered the opportunity provide the labour for the works by signing up for a Cash for Work scheme. In all, a total of 381 community members have been recruited for Cash for Work activities under the GrEEn project, where they earn a daily minimum wage to provide unskilled labour in the construction of their community’s climate resilient project.
Typical investments include small bridges or culverts, road improvements or irrigation and water delivery infrastructure. In the first two years of implementation the GrEEn project has provided ten climate resilient infrastructures to the following six districts; Offinso North, Adansi South, Ejura Sekyedumase and Sekyere Afram Plains in the Ashanti Region and Ahanta West and Wassa Amenfi East in the Western Region.

Year 2 achievements of the GrEEn Project

In its third year of implementation, the GrEEn project is providing further support to existing districts as well as covering four more districts in the Ashanti and Western Regions making a total of 10 local government authorities. The new districts coming on board in Year 3 are Nzema East and Jomoro Municipal districts in the Western Region and the Skyere Kumawu and the Offinso Municipal districts in the Ashanti Region.

Standards and procedures for the Cash for Work approach are available in the Cash for Work Guidelines

The Year 2 GrEEn Progress report is available here:

For more information about LoCAL in Ghana:

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