Climate Evidence: Sustaining Ghana’s farming glory under climate stress

Climate variability has become one of the most destabilizing forces confronting Ghana’s agriculture sector, which contributes about 20 percent of GDP and employs more than a third of the national workforce.

 

Rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, prolonged dry spells and shifting growing seasons are steadily eroding yields and confidence in farming.

 

According to the Ghana Meteorological Agency and regional climate assessments, average temperatures in Ghana have increased by about 1°C over the past six decades, while rainfall patterns have grown increasingly unpredictable.

 

The World Bank projects that without adaptation, climate change could reduce crop yields in Sub-Saharan Africa by up to 20 percent by 2050.

 

For Ghana’s predominantly rain-fed agricultural system, where less than 3 percent of arable land is under irrigation, the stakes are particularly high.

As harvests become uncertain, young people increasingly turn away from agriculture, perceiving it as high risk and low return.

 

Experts point to an aging agricultural population, a demographic shift that raises urgent sustainability concerns, and insist that reversing agriculture’s decline under climate stress demands bold, coordinated national action.

 

“Unfortunately, if you check our agriculture population, you’ll realize that over 80 percent of our farmers are people who are aged 65 and above; and that is dangerous,” noted Bismark Owusu Nortey, Executive Director of Peasant Farmers Association of Ghana.

 

National labour data consistently show that youth participation in primary agriculture has been declining, even as youth unemployment and underemployment remain pressing concerns.

 

Bismark Nortey says attracting young people into agriculture remains a major hurdle. Beyond access to finance and infrastructure, climate risk looms large.

 

“Now the question is why are we not getting young people actively participating?” he quizzed. “Aside the financing, the infrastructure which is not there, the risk of climate change and the fact that the youth are not able to appreciate and use the available technologies to integrate farming into their system is a big challenge that we need to address.”

 

In Techimantia in the Tano South Municipality of the Ahafo Region, farmer Nana Owusu Debright describes the harsh reality on the ground. When the rains delay, livelihoods stall, and local economies slow.

 

“We are sowing our seed before the rain; so one of the major problems is rainfall. Right now we are waiting for water, if it rains today, none of us the community people will sit at home tomorrow; they will go to farm to sow,” he expressed.

 

His experience reflects broader vulnerability across cocoa, maize, and vegetable-producing belts where rainfall onset and cessation have become less predictable.

 

For agronomist Dr. Michael Odenkey Quaye of the Department of Agriculture Science Education at the University of Education, Winneba, climate change presents both a challenge and an untapped opportunity. Global research increasingly highlights climate-smart agriculture – combining productivity, adaptation and mitigation – as a pathway to resilience.

 

He argues that innovation, particularly climate-smart solutions, could open new pathways for youth participation.

 

“People can set up businesses that produces biochar, which is technically charcoal that can be used as soil amendment; something we can put into the soil and it improves the physical and chemical properties of the soil, increases yield. So as a climate intervention, biochar can be an entrepreneurial opportunity for young people,” said Dr. Odenkey Quaye.

 

Biochar, promoted in several climate adaptation frameworks, enhances soil fertility while sequestering carbon, aligning productivity with environmental sustainability.

 

But transformation, he insists, will require deliberate policy shifts, making agriculture profitable and future-ready. That includes strengthening school curricula to integrate agri-entrepreneurship, improving access to land and farm inputs, expanding irrigation infrastructure, and guaranteeing markets for produce.

 

Agricultural economist, Dr. Jonas Osei-Adu, believes youth inclusion is possible, but only if climate-smart agriculture policies move beyond rhetoric. Ghana has launched several initiatives, including the Planting for Food and Jobs programme and green economy strategies, yet implementation gaps persist.

 

“It’s about risk. If the youth goes for a loan [to venture farming] and has to depend on rain, how would he or she be motivated?” he quizzed. “We need to move away from rain fed agriculture to irrigation.”

 

Expanding irrigation coverage, experts argue, would significantly reduce climate risk exposure and improve creditworthiness for young farmers.

 

Opportunities, however, extend far beyond tilling the soil, says Electronic and Communication Engineer Dr. Kwame Onwona-Simpe. Across Africa, digital agriculture is projected to become a multi-billion-dollar industry, driven by precision farming tools, climate advisory services, remote sensing, drone technology and agribusiness platforms.

 

He points to technology-driven roles across the agriculture value chain, from precision farming to climate monitoring systems, as viable entry points for young professionals.

 

“The agriculture value chain is wide and almost every skill in visible. Today we are having youth unemployment, but everybody can be captured in the agriculture sector and that could save us the unemployment and other social vices,” he said.

 

As climate stress intensifies, the future of Ghana’s agriculture hinges not only on rainfall patterns, but on policy clarity, innovation, risk-sharing mechanisms and the courage to reposition farming as a resilient and profitable enterprise for the next generation.

 

Bismark Nortey cautions that youth engagement will require structured, strategic support to scale climate-smart technologies and ensure sustainability.

 

“If you look at the policy space, we have a lot of policy guidelines, including the Green Jobs Strategy and the Youth Employment strategy. All these policy documents clearly state what should be done to integrate climate smart technologies, but unfortunately, the youth are not even aware; there is no policy space for then to go and find solace or support in training, capacity and linkage to opportunity for them.

 

“We could create a hub, like a resource hub, where these youth would be able to go there and seek information, seek the right channels that they can use to expand the work that they are doing,” he suggested.

 

Sustaining Ghana’s farming glory under climate stress will therefore require more than hope for rainfall. It demands investment in irrigation, innovation ecosystems, accessible finance, and structured youth engagement, turning climate risk into opportunity and securing the future of food production.

 

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This article is written by Kofi Adu Domfeh as part of a collaborative project between JoyNews, CDKN Ghana, and the Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability at the University of Ghana, with funding from the CLARE R41 Opportunities Fund.

Kofi Adu Domfeh honoured with Excellence in Climate Journalism and Advocacy Award

Multimedia journalist and Climate Reality Leader, Kofi Adu Domfeh, has been honoured with the Excellence in Climate Journalism and Advocacy Award.

 

He was among several distinguished Ghanaians recognised at the 3rd Edition of the Ghana Development Awards 2026, held in Accra and organised by The Business Executive Group.

 

The citation accompanying the award commended Domfeh “for exceptional leadership, innovation, partnership and enduring commitment to advancing Ghana’s development, inspiring resilience, supporting socio-economic recovery, and sustaining national progress.”

 

Domfeh has dedicated more than 15 years to reporting on environmental sustainability and climate change. A two-time winner of the Africa Climate Change and Environmental Reporting Awards (ACCER), his journalism across the continent has amplified the realities of climate change while influencing policy discussions on resilience-building through adaptation and mitigation strategies. His work has also highlighted emerging opportunities in climate solutions.

 

Through collaborations with organisations such as the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA), the Africa Group of Negotiators on Climate Change, and the African Union’s TerrAfrica initiative, Domfeh has contributed to strengthening Africa’s climate narrative, advocating for greater recognition of the continent’s vulnerabilities and the need for developed nations to honour commitments on climate finance.

 

Currently, he serves as Head of the Science and Environment Desk at JoyNews, where he has been instrumental in launching and driving specialised programmes including the Climate Focus and Climate Evidence series. As a News Editor with the Multimedia Group on Luv FM and Nhyira FM, he leads teams in producing impactful environmental stories, particularly investigations into the devastation caused by illegal mining, widely known as galamsey, on forests, water bodies, land and biodiversity.

 

Domfeh also serves as Ghana Bureau Chief for Africa Climate Reports, a Pan-African online magazine dedicated to environmental sustainability and climate reporting.

 

He is a founding member of the Pan-African Media Alliance on Climate Change (PAMACC) and an active participant in the Africa Editors Climate Forum, where he contributes to strengthening climate journalism across the continent.

 

Beyond journalism, Domfeh is the founder of the Climate Livelihoods and Agriculture Platform (CLAPgh), an initiative focused on youth empowerment, environmental awareness, tree planting, and community engagement for sustainable development.

 

Reacting to the honour, Domfeh described the recognition as both humbling and motivating.

 

“The nomination for this award came as a surprise. But it is inspiring to know that people recognise the impact of the work we do, even from a small corner,” he said.

 

“I am currently at a stage where my focus is on empowering others, particularly young journalists, to excel. This recognition will only encourage me to stay on course because the reality of climate change surrounds us and the impact is real. Everyone must take responsibility and contribute to climate action.”

 

Kofi Adu Domfeh also serves as the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA).

 

Africa must align climate diplomacy with its industrial ambitions — AGN Chair

Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, has called for alignment between climate diplomacy and Africa’s industrial ambitions, while reinforcing institutional coordination in advancing the continent’s climate narrative.

 

He noted that global climate diplomacy has fundamentally shifted beyond emissions targets and long term ambition, becoming increasingly intertwined with geopolitics, energy security, industrial competition, critical minerals and finance.

 

“These global shifts are reshaping Africa’s development options faster than our institutions are adapting,” he said. “At the same time, decisions taken outside the UNFCCC framework, in trade, industrial policy and finance, are increasingly determining what is feasible within it. If our climate diplomacy is not aligned with our energy needs and industrial ambitions, we risk locking ourselves into pathways that reproduce dependency rather than transformation.”

 

At the just concluded 39^th Ordinary Session of the African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Nana Dr. Amoah had several engagements with cooperating partners, particularly the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), and emphasised the need for Africa to continue negotiating under a common position, and also strategically align climate diplomacy with its overall development agenda. 

 

The AGN Chair stressed that energy sovereignty, industrial policy and access to finance must be placed at the centre of Africa’s climate strategy, and urged stronger coordination among African institutions to address fragmentation between mandates and implementation.

 

Reflecting on key COP30 outcomes, Nana Dr. Amoah highlighted three priority areas for Africa: the Just Transition Mechanism, the climate–trade dialogue, and climate finance under Article 9.1 of the Paris Agreement.

 

On the Just Transition Mechanism, he stressed that Africa’s interpretation must go beyond worker protection to encompass national development and shared prosperity.

 

“For Africa, a just transition must mean manufacturing solar panels, batteries and green hydrogen components on the African soil. It must mean local beneficiation of critical minerals, supported by skills development and meaningful technology transfer,” he said, warning that a green transition that leaves Africa confined to exporting raw materials at the bottom of global value chains could not be described as just.

 

On trade, the AGN Chair cautioned that unilateral trade measures, carbon border adjustments and green subsidies were already reshaping global competitiveness, posing risks to African economies.

 

He thus urged the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to offer a platform to aggregate regional markets and address scale constraints, but stressed the need to preserve policy space for green industrial strategies and differentiated transition pathways.

 

Turning to finance, he underscored that the Paris Agreement’s affirmation of developed countries’ responsibility to provide financial resources to developing countries.

 

“In an era of tight fiscal space, climate finance must be adequate, predictable and patient. It must address Africa’s high cost of capital and support debt sustainability,” he said, calling for a shift from “fragmented, project financing towards programmatic, regional investment platforms capable of transforming entire sectors and value chains.”

 

Nana Dr Amoah reaffirmed the readiness of the AGN to ensure that climate diplomacy strengthens Africa’s industrial ambitions and long-term economic transformation.

 

In his efforts to ensure that Africa’s climate narrative is well-coordinated, technically grounded, and politically aligned to translate into real resilience for African communities, Nana Dr. Amoah engaged with several partners including the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC), United Nations Office to the African Union (UNOAU), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Africa Regional Office, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), Green Climate Fund (GCF), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Africa Green Industrialisation Initiative, among others.

 

Senior Specialist for Climate Action at IOM, Lisa Lim Ah Ken, reaffirmed the organization’s readiness to continue supporting Africa’s climate agenda through sustained collaboration, technical engagement, and institutional partnership, while UNOAU’s Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General to the AU and Head of the UN Office to the AU emphasized on the nexus of peace security and climate change. 

 

Meanwhile, UNEP Africa Regional Director, Rose Mwebaza, pledged continued strategic support, particularly focusing on strengthening Africa’s coordination, technical preparedness and political engagement in global climate negotiations.

 

Kofi Adu Domfeh asks: A new world disorder of climate change?

Kwaku works with a tight calendar; making a routine business trip every week between Kumasi and Accra, the kind professionals make without a second thought.

On this typical Tuesday, he takes an early morning flight from Kumasi for meetings in Accra, with an evening return flight to Kumasi for another early-morning engagement the next day that could unlock a significant business deal.

By mid-morning upon arriving in Accra, the sun blazed with unusual intensity, draining energy from anyone forced to move between appointments.

Kwaku dashed from one office to another as the sun burnt hot and harsh, but stayed focused on finishing his work to catch his evening flight back to Kumasi.

But without a warning, the clouds gathered. What had been scorching skies just hours earlier began to darken as clouds gathered fast and thick, rolling in with surprising speed. Within minutes, the atmosphere flipped from heatwave to storm warning.

Then came the rain; a torrential downpour. By the time Kwaku reached the airport, the announcement board read flight delayed. Then what he feared hit him; his flight cancelled.

The same skies that had scorched him hours earlier had now grounded him completely.

Despite his careful planning, he could not return to Kumasi that evening, missing a scheduled meeting for the following day.

In just one day, Kwaku experienced two extremes — intense heat and a disruptive storm — both powerful enough to alter personal and professional outcomes.

What once felt like isolated weather incidents now seem connected, part of a broader pattern of climate volatility that was becoming harder to ignore.

Climate change is no longer an abstract headline or distant environmental debate; it is operational risk, an economic loss and human disruption happening in real time.

UN Climate chief calls for new era of climate action

Last Thursday, the UN Climate Change Executive Secretary, Simon Stiell, addressed a press conference hosted by the COP31 President Designate, Minister Murat Kurum in Istanbul, Türkiye, where he stated that climate action can deliver stability in an unstable world of arms and trade wars.

“We find ourselves in a new world disorder. This is a period of instability and insecurity. Of strong arms and trade wars. The very concept of international cooperation is under attack. These challenges are real and serious. 

“Climate action can deliver stability in an unstable world of arms and trade wars. In the face of the current chaos, we can, and must, drive forward a new era of international climate cooperation,” he said.

The UN Climate Change’s plan for a new era of climate action was divided into three eras: first was to uncover the problem and respond; and the second was to get serious about solutions in building the Paris Agreement.

Simon Stiell acknowledged the Agreement did not solve the climate crisis, but showed that nations can deliver change on a major scale when they stand together.

“In the decade since Paris, clean energy investment is up tenfold – from two hundred billion dollars to over two trillion dollars a year. And, in 2025, amidst all the economic uncertainty and gale-force political headwinds, the global transition kept surging forward: clean energy investment kept growing strongly, and was more than double that of fossil fuels. 

“Renewables overtook coal as the world's top electricity source. The majority of countries produced new national climate plans that will help drive their economic growth up and – for the first time – global emissions down. And, at COP30, nations said with one voice: the global transition is now irreversible, the Paris Agreement is working, and together we will make it go further and faster,” he emphasized.

Trump challenges climate science 

While the UN Climate chief is strongly advocating climate adaptation for resilience building, US President Donald Trump has continued his attack on climate science by revoking a landmark ruling that greenhouse gases endanger public health.

The key Obama-era scientific ruling in 2009 underpins all US federal actions on curbing planet-warming gases.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) decided that key planet-warming greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane, were a danger to human health.

But the reversal, according to the White House, is necessitated by the drive to make cars cheaper with an expected ease in the cost of production.

"This radical rule became the legal foundation for the Green New Scam, one of the greatest scams in history," said President Trump, who has snubbed the Paris Agreement on Climate Change twice.

The exit of US from the Paris Agreement means that America will no longer be bound by the agreement's requirements, such as submitting plans to reduce carbon emissions.

As the world’s second-largest greenhouse gas emitter behind only China, environmental groups say the latest move by the US is by far the most significant rollback on climate change, amidst skepticism of the potential cost savings being touted by the Trump administration.

The Third Era of Climate Action

The UN Climate Chief has observed an unprecedented threat to the decade of international climate cooperation that has delivered more real-world progress.

“From those determined to use their power to defy economic and scientific logic, and increase dependence on polluting coal, oil and gas – even though that means worsening climate disasters and spiralling costs for households and businesses. These forces are undeniably strong, but they need not prevail,” stated Stiell.

His solution to the chaos and regression is for countries to stand together, building on successes and working more closely with businesses, investors, and regional and civic leaders to deliver more real-world results in every country.

This is the third era of climate action; an era to speed-up and scale-up implementation of actions.

“It must start with a relentless focus on delivering – or even exceeding – the targets agreed in the first global stocktake, in 2023. Doubling energy efficiency and tripling clean energy by 2030. Transitioning away from all fossil fuels, in a just, fair and orderly manner. Strengthening resilience and reducing vulnerability, and ensuring more climate finance reaches people everywhere, especially the most vulnerable,” said Simon Stiell.

The expectation is for countries to be on track to meet the commitments by the second global stocktake in 2028, in boosting resilience, growing economies, and slashing emissions.

“The fact is climate adaptation is the only path to securing billions of human lives, as climate impacts get rapidly worse,” said Mr. Stiell. “As climate disasters hit food supplies and drive inflation, resilient supply chains are crucial for the price stability populations are demanding.  And they are increasingly unforgiving of governments who don’t deliver it.

“So more than ever, climate action and cooperation are the answer: not despite global instability, but because of it. There is a huge amount of work before us, this year and in the years to come”.

As vulnerable people and communities in Africa are already suffering the extremes of weather conditions, the UN conference of parties (COP31) in Antalya is expected to deliver for people, prosperity and planet.

For professionals like Kwaku, what used to be a routine of moving between two cities for work has suddenly felt uncertain; the weather is no longer background noise, it is deciding outcomes.

Amidst the reality of climate science and the challenge to the impact of the science, what would a new world disorder of climate change mean for people like Kwaku?

Kofi Adu Domfeh is a journalist and Climate Reality Leader| adomfeh@gmail.com

Climate Change: AGN Chair to mobilize strong expertise to project Africa’s interest in global climate negotiations

 The Chair of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN), Dr. Nana Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, has called on African countries to strengthen unity and collective action as global multilateralism continues to weaken.

 

Addressing the first strategic meeting of the AGN under Ghana’s leadership, Dr. Amoah warned that Africa as one of the regions most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change cannot afford the erosion of multilateral cooperation.

 

“With Africa’s well-documented vulnerabilities to climate change, the continent cannot afford to let multilateralism die,” he stated.

 

Dr. Amoah reaffirmed his commitment to mobilizing the broad expertise within the AGN to ensure Africa maintains a strong and coordinated presence in global climate negotiations, despite growing geopolitical and economic pressures.

 

“The strength and success of the AGN lie in our ability to work together, even under difficult circumstances,” he said. “My chairmanship will harness the collective expertise within the AGN family to project Africa’s interests at a time when the spirit of multilateralism is clearly under strain.”

 

The strategic meeting, held virtually, marks the first under Ghana’s chairmanship and focused on preparations for the upcoming African Union Summit scheduled for 11–15 February 2026 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

 

Ahead of in-person engagements leading up to the mid-year UN Climate Conference in June, the meeting was guided by the following objectives:

 

Reviewing outcomes and priority issues from COP30 and their implications for continental policy processes;

 

Consolidating AGN positions and negotiation priorities to inform strategic engagement during the African Union Summit; and

 

Reviewing the AGN Chair’s priority agenda and aligning it with Lead Coordinators and country focal points perspectives.

 

The African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) is a technical body of the three-tier African negotiating structure that engages in the technical negotiations during the UN Conferences of the Parties (COPs) and the inter-sessional negotiations on Climate Change. It was established in 1995 with the objective of representing the interests of Africa in the international climate change negotiations, with a common and unified voice.

 

Ghana takes the reigns of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change

Ghana has taken the reigns of the African Group of Negotiators on Climate Change (AGN) for January, 2026 to December, 2027. , in line with the two-year sub-regional rotational mandate of the group.

 

Nana Dr. Antwi-Boasiako Amoah from Ghana’s Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), will lead the group in the next two years, taking over from Tanzania’s Dr. Richard Muyungi. 

 

“It was indeed an honour to chair this esteemed group. I thank each and everyone one of you for the support you rendered to the United Republic of Tanzania and to me personally. I welcome Ghana and Dr. Antwi as he takes the leadership of the group,” said Dr. Muyungi in his farewell message to the group.

 

Dr. Amoah commended the United Republic of Tanzania for the leadership and pledged his readiness to continue championing Africa’s climate narrative. 

 

“On behalf of the West-African sub-region, Ghana is ready to continue from where Tanzania has left off. We will need everyone on board to drive the African climate agenda. Let me take this opportunity to wish you all the very best in the remaining days of the festive season,” he said.

 

Dr. Amoah has about twenty years’ experience in public service and has dedicated his public service life to international climate diplomacy, public policy and capacity development of African youth in climate change negotiations.

He plays a key role in coordinating Ghana’s National Adaptation Plan (NAP) project and has served as a Lead Negotiator for the G77 and China for NAPs within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process. He is actively engaged in Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) implementation, National Communications (NCs), and Biennial Transparency Reports (BTRs).

He is a leading authority on climate policy and governance, with extensive experience in international climate negotiations, policy development, and national climate resilience planning. He has played a pivotal role in shaping Ghana’s climate change strategy and representing the country at major global platforms, including the UNFCCC and currently serves on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board.

Dr. Amoah's leadership at the EPA has been instrumental in driving Ghana’s commitments to climate action and sustainable development forward. Additionally, Dr. Amoah is a part-time lecturer at the Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Studies at the University of Ghana. He has been teaching and supervising graduate students research work since 2019.

The AGN is a technical body of the three-tier African negotiating structure that engages in the technical negotiations during the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) and the intersessional negotiations on Climate Change. It was established in 1995 with the objective of representing the interests of Africa in the international climate change negotiations, with a common and unified voice.

The AGN prepares and drafts negotiating text and common positions at COPs, guided by decisions and key messages from the Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change (CAHOSCC), the highest decision-making tier and the African Ministerial Conference on Environment and Natural Resources (AMCEN), the second highest decision-making tier.  

Its structure comprises of Lead Coordinators and Strategic Advisors, thematic coordinators, former AGN Chairs and UNFCCC focal points of all African Member countries and the Secretariat. 

 

Environmental Protection: Communities in Ghana can resist illegal mining without losing their livelihoods

Awakwai is a farmer in the Sika Nti community at Asankragua in the Western Region. When he migrated to the community to work on a cocoa farm to make a living, he entered into a land tenure arrangement to farm his cocoa. But he will soon lose the land as the owner sold the land out for mining. 

 

Without a farm and any alternative source of income, the young man was faced with a dilemma: the choice to either to live on empty stomach or take up employment at an illegal mining site, locally known as ‘Galamsey’.

 

The Chief of Jomoro, Nana Kwame Ketebu II, acknowledged that “any survival that affects the environment is unsustainable.”  

 

He also observed “the current situation of galamsey is seen in the nature of our rivers; in the nature of our forests; in the nature of destruction of the environment”.

 

Two years ago, Preferred by Nature, a global non-profit organisation, started working with partners on its first cocoa project called “Wassa Amenfi Cocoa Landscape Initiative (WACLI)” in Ghana to support farmers facing low-income levels, climate change, market pressure and declining yield.

 

“In doing so, the same question always kept coming back to us from many different actors across many different sectors; how can you work with cocoa without addressing the issue of galamsey?” said Jakob Nordborg Ryding, Senior Director of Strategic Projects at Preferred by Nature.

 

He noted that galamsey is currently one of the most severe risks to farmers, communities and Ghana’s cocoa future. “It’s contaminating rivers, it’s degrading soils, it’s dividing communities,” he said.

 

With over 30,000 hectares of cocoa farms lost, Ghana’s environmental and agricultural destruction through illegal mining is driving socio-economic collapse. There is high farmer displacement and social fragmentation, and most young people are dropping out of schools to work in mining.

 

Rikolto and Preferred by Nature are mobilising cocoa communities against Galamsey destruction for long-term livelihoods and health. They are adopting a three-pronged approach in community mobilization, alternative livelihoods, rehabilitation and alliances to halt and reverse the Galamsey crisis.

 

“Together with Rikolto, we will strengthen communities to advocate and organize against galamsey; we will create income and business opportunities that help vulnerable farmers resist galamsey and improve the long-term viability of cocoa farms; and we will begin the phytoremediation and agroforestry to restore the damaged mining areas and ensure the land is productive again,” explained Jakob at the project launch in Accra.

 

The project is described as a starting point, a platform to test real solutions on the ground through the direct involvement of the communities, while expecting all stakeholders to act.

 

According to Abdulahi Aliyu, Global Director, Sustainable Cocoa and Coffee Programme at Rikolto, the communities are aware of the negative effects of galamsey, especially when they are compelled to buy sachet water to irrigate their crops. And he believes these communities are willing to stop the menace of galamsey. 

 

“Children are abandoning school to look for jobs on galamsey sites,” he observed. “If we want to talk about descent income for smallholder farmers, do we factor the issue that farmers buy water to apply chemicals on their farms which adds up to the cost of production?”

 

Mr. Aliyu noted that Ghana is losing its pride in the golden bean as cocoa is under the threat of illegal mining, known popularly as ‘galamsey’, hence the need for urgent action.

 

In turning the tide through the mobilization of cocoa communities against Galamsey, the project will introduce citronella cultivation and the setting up of processing plants to build resilient local economies.

 

The path to sustainable change will involve the establishment of three pilot processing plants, expansion of citronella cultivation, initiation of phytoremediation trials and full community ownership before project exit.

 

Some 3,000 farmers, including 1,500 women and 1,500 men from 12 communities in three districts, will be targeted, and the focus area will the proactive inclusion of women and youth in citronella processing ownership.

 

The 5-year (2025-2030) initiative titled “Turning the tide: Mobilizing cocoa communities against galamsey destruction for long-term livelihoods and health” with support from the Civil Society in Development (CISU) Denmark, has the overall goal to empower vulnerable cocoa-dependent communities to resist, consolidate, and sustainably reverse the advance of Galamsey.

 

The Head of Cooperation of the Danish Embassy in Ghana, Ms. Rikke Enggaard Olsen, believes the project is important as it empowers the local communities and builds partnerships to take action against galamsey.

 

“For a country that supplies around 20% of the world’s cocoa, the stakes couldn’t be higher faces by an issue such as galamsey. Cocoa is not just an export commodity; it represents jobs, community identity and multi-generational aspirations. 

 

“When farmlands are destroyed and water sources contaminated, communities lose their resources that they need for sustainable growth,” she stated. 

by Kofi Adu Domfeh

COP30: Africa looks up to tripling adaptation finance by 2030

UN chief António Guterres has called on governments to have the courage to agree a balanced political package that is concrete on funding adaptation, credible on emissions cuts, and bankable on finance. 

 

For the first time, he rallied behind a demand from the world’s poorest countries to triple finance to help them adapt to more extreme weather and rising seas to $120 billion a year by 2030. 

 

Addressing the COP30 Climate Change talks in Belem, Brazil, he noted that communities on the frontlines are watching the UN summit for action.

 

“Counting flooded homes, failed harvests, lost livelihoods and asking ‘how much more must we suffer?’… they have heard enough excuses, they demand results,” he stated.

 

For Mr. Guterres, “tripling adaptation finance by 2030 is essential.” He believes it is also possible and desirable and he hoped developed countries would accept to engage in this objective at COP30 if their concerns on emissions reductions are addressed. 

 

The Africa Day at COP30 was marked under the theme: “Africa at the Forefront of Climate Action: Sustainable Financing for Resilient and Inclusive Green Growth”, reaffirming the continent’s united call for a new era of climate finance that delivers for people, planet, and prosperity.

 

Discussions focused on mobilizing sustainable, equitable, and innovative finance to accelerate Africa’s green industrialization. Leaders highlighted that Africa’s future lies in leveraging its abundant natural resources for value addition and local manufacturing from processing critical minerals to scaling renewable energy solutions.

 

“Africa already stands at the forefront of global climate action, shaping solutions that are both locally grounded and globally relevant”, said Dr. Kevin Kariuki, Vice President for Power, Energy, Climate and Green Growth of the African Development Bank Group.

 

For decades, Africa’s climate narrative has been defined by contradiction. The continent hosts 20% of the world’s carbon sinks and contributes less than 4% of global greenhouse gas emissions, yet receives under 10% of adaptation finance and only 3% of total climate funding, this shortfall carries existential consequences.

 

Developed countries have repeatedly failed to honour their financing commitments, and Africa’s adaptation needs continue to outpace the resources available.

 

The commitment of developed countries to double adaptation finance to at least $40 billion by 2025 already slipping away.

 

The latest estimate of developing countries’ annual climate adaptation needs for 2035 outstrips current funding by at least 12 times, with rich nations providing just $26 billion in 2023, according to the annual UN Adaptation Gap Report. 

 

If current trends continue, developed countries are set to miss the 2025 target that they committed to at COP26 four years ago, UNEP’s report said. 

 

As COP30 entered its final stretch, African Non-State Actors on climate justice, under the umbrella of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance, called for “an outcome that protects our societies and economies, strengthens resilience, and advances a fair and development-centred global transition”.

 

The group demanded for more than triple adaptation finance by 2030, with a clear public-finance pathway, and “a fully capitalised fund for responding to Loss and Damage with new, additional, predictable finance, and as a guarantee mobilized from public sources”.

 

Africa CSOs are seeking a fast-track support for resilient agriculture, water and health systems, coastal protection, and community adaptation complimented with early warning systems.

 

“For millions, adaptation is not an abstract goal. It is the difference between rebuilding and being swept away, between replanting and starving, between staying on ancestral lands or losing it forever,” said António Guterres.

 

The UN chief has urged wealthy governments, climate funds and development banks to step up and prevent further tragedies.

 

“It’s about survival, it’s about justice – and for Indigenous peoples, it is also about protecting cultures and homelands that sustain our planet’s vital ecosystems,” he noted.

 

He says it is the responsibility on big emitters to do more while ramping up emissions-cutting efforts.

 

By Kofi Adu Domfeh