ghana climate change vulnerability and adaptation assessment

Given a declining fishery and the threat climate change poses for that resource, the GoG should be stronglyencouraging development of capacity and infrastructure to scientifically monitor, regulate, and manage allsectors of the marine and freshwater fisheries for long-term sustainability (FtF, H&S, Gen). Local monitoringauthorities should be strengthened and connected with local, regional, and national partners and counterparts(FtF, H&S, Gen). Most coastal residents are fisheries-dependent, are vulnerable to disruptions in theresource, and have few employment alternatives. Tourism, while promising, lacks the infrastructure toprovide substantial income. Investments in tourism infrastructure could provide coastal residents viablealternative livelihoods. Investments in education could broaden skill sets and widen employmentopportunities for youth and young adults (Edu).The energy sector is also hampered by significant capacity and infrastructure barriers. The GoG should beencouraged to develop as soon as possible natural gas processing capabilities to avoid prolonged (months toyears) gas flaring and increased GHG emissions from the Jubilee Field and use that gas to supplement analready inadequate national power grid. The lack of electricity in rural areas impedes entrepreneurial activity,calling for exploration of alternative energy systems (e.g. solar, biofuels) to meet local community needs.Because of education, training, and skill deficits, local populations are disadvantaged for competing for jobs inthe nascent oil and gas industry. The GoG should be encouraged to provide training to afford localsemployment opportunities in that industry (Edu).Several other interventions were identified under the capacity and infrastructure barrier. Mainstreamingclimate change in GoG activities could be advanced by improving data sharing policies among agencies,especially for meteorology data (Dem/Gov) as well as partnering with institutions to supply climateadaptation information (FtF, H&S, Gen). Lack of technical capacity and infrastructure limits the ability toshare large data files between agencies and could benefit from improved internet capabilities. Efforts todecentralize government are impeded in rural areas by lack of infrastructure. Cell phone texting featuresshould be explored for use in online registrations, permit applications, etc. to avoid long distance travel togovernment offices and to increase participation. Likewise, development of a practical system of farmercredit banks in rural areas is needed to establish farmer accounts that can be used remotely to conductfinancial transactions (FtF). As noted, this latter intervention needs to be superseded by addressing landtenure issues that constrain credit and by making credit affordable to smallholders.Information and analysis represents a significant barrier to climate change adaptation and mitigation inGhana. Data is lacking for critical decision making, planning, and forecasting. Climate change should beinvestigated at a sub-national level using appropriately scaled GCM models and within the context ofdesertification, sea-level rise and coastal erosion, marine and inland fishery sustainability, water supply in theVolta Basin, and hydropower production (FtF, Gen). Rates of coastal erosion should be investigagednationally with an emphasis on identifying causes and on impacts to coastal infrastructure and naturalresources (e.g., towns, ports, biodiversity hotspots, lagoonal and inshore fisheries) (FtF). Regionalorganizations (e.g., CILSS, AGRHYMET, CORAF, INSAH, FEWSNET) should be engaged in partnershipsto ensure availability of and access to data (e.g., weather data, hydrological data, ground cover change,agricultural expansion, improved land productivity, fish populations) and projections (FtF).Several items identified under the information and analysis barrier relate directly to agriculture and foodsecurity. Research and technology development programs are needed in climate prediction, to improve cropmodels, and to link process-based crop models to high resolution regional climate models (FtF). To helpadapt to climate change, soil suitability analysis should be incorporated into agricultural development planningand updated with soil suitability analysis data on new crop varieties (FtF). The uncertainties of FtFcommercial and large-scale agriculture sustainability needs to be investigated in light of increasing future costsof petroleum-based fuels and agricultural chemicals and a changing climate (FtF, Gen). Likewise, FtFirrigation projects should be analyzed in regard to impacts on surface and ground water quantity and qualityand downstream effects (FtF). An evaluation of the temporal pace of vegetation change and soil degradationis needed to assess desertification in northern Ghana, especially in the context of projected populationincreases, food security, water demands, ecological services, and climate change.14 GHANA CLIMATE CHANGE VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTATION ASSESSMENT