A community in the Western Region of Ghana has said goodbye to unreliable and often dirty hand-dug wells and improved access to basic services following a small-scale yet big-impact infrastructure project undertaken by the local government with oversight by the United Nations. Families now have improved access to safe drinking water and children can access schools and hospitals, even during times of climate change related floods and extreme weather events, thanks to a new investment implemented by the UN Capital Development Fund and partners with the bulk of funding from the European Union.

A young girl takes water under the watchful eye of her mother during the opening ceremony in Ethiopia Forest, Western Region, Ghana. Photo: UNCDF Angela Kwashie 2023

The project is a typical example of a transformative investment delivered on a manageable income through Performance Based Climate Resilience Grants, developed as part of the Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility approach to locally led adaptation to climate change. Community members of the region, known as ‘Ethiopia Forest’, have never seen anything like it before and they’re thrilled with the results.

“This is the first time we’ve seen this kind of development in Ethiopia Forest,” said one of the village elders at an official ceremony to open the new facilities conducted in May, that was met with excitement and applause from the members present.

Traditional hand-dug wells could no longer supply the community with their water needs, as the region recorded fluctuating rainfall patters and rising temperatures linked to increased Green House Gases in the atmosphere. Similarly, when rains come they can be more powerful and unpredictable than in the past, turning nearby waterways into gushing rivers that would cut the community off from basic services and the opportunity to make much needed cash by selling their agricultural wares at the District Capital market, some 25km away. Action had to be taken to ensure the community could sustain itself and perhaps even thrive, so when the local government authority received a small grant and an opportunity to make changes, they didn’t hesitate.

A series of consultations soon uncovered that the community had a clear idea of what they needed to future-proof their village: a clean water supply and a culvert to channel flood waters and provide a safe crossing to hospitals, schools and the regional market.

The works in Ethiopia Forest cost about US$ 37,000 via The Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) Project, a four-year from the EU, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Ghana, SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the UNCDF with a total budget of US$ 20.6 million. The Green Project aims to create greater economic and employment opportunities for youth, women and returning migrants by promoting and supporting sustainable, green businesses in two selected regions in Ghana: Ashanti and Western. UNCDF and SNV are co-implementing the GrEEn project in partnership with Ghana’s Ministry of Local Government, Decentralization and Rural Development (MLGDRD).

Works took place over three months with expenditure kept to a minimum by employing community members to undertake much of the construction. Residents widely welcomed the Cash for Work programme as it provided an opportunity to earn a much needed temporary income and learn some new vocational skills along the way.

In an additional boost for the sustainability of the region. The community are no longer forced to cut larger, more established trees from the nearby forest in a bit to make a temporary river crossing during the rainy season.

“It was a great pleasure for me to see the results of this project in Ethiopia Forest,” said Angela Yayra Kwashie, UNCDF Technical Specialist in Local Government Finance, who oversaw the project.

Angela Yayra Kwashie at a recent project hand-over ceremony. UNCDF Ghana 2023

“People know what they need to change to make their communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change – this project just needed to work with the local government to create an enabling environment for the community to realise their ambitions.”

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