The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in a stakeholder meeting with Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) plan to develop a roadmap for youth participation in developing and implementing the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), Accra.
The Government of Ghana, through the Environmental Protection Agency, under the auspices of the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), successfully obtained a grant of USD$2,950,634 from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) for a three-year project to build capacity to advance National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process in Ghana.
The Project Coordinator of EPA, Dr. Antwi-Bosiako Amoako, speaking on the essence of the NAP says “the NAP is supported to put up systems and structures that will help Ghana to incorporate Adaptation Planning into our development agenda. This is to alleviate poverty and care for the environment and climate.”
He also emphasized the need for youth involvement in the development; “the youth is a strategic partner for implementing ideas that are critical to the course of this country because they are the future and not us.”
The Executive Coordinator of SYND, Mr Chibeze Ezekiel, asserted how strategic this meeting was to the implementation of the plan to curb climate change.
“EPA is the implementing agency thus a very strategic opportunity to participate in the implementation processes. In our support of the process, we will be developing and disseminating advocacy materials such as briefs and educational materials buttressed with social media campaigning through our Youth in Natural Resources and Environmental Governance (Youth-NREG) Platform,” he said.
Background of the NAP
The NAP process was initiated under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2010 to address medium- and long-term climate adaptation needs in developing countries.
It is an iterative, country-owned planning process that allows countries to identify, address and review their evolving adaptation needs.
In Ghana, the NAP process seeks to provide the enabling framework for the planning and implementation of adaptation actions as enshrined in the National Climate Change Policy (2013), the National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy (2012) and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) (2015), all done within the context of sustainable development.
Improving adaptation planning through the NAP process will help build local adaptive capacity to address climate change (SDG13), which will reduce poverty (SDG1), thereby enhancing livelihood opportunities (SDG1) and improving gender equality (SDG5).
The NAP Global Network is also working with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) in Ghana to support the planning and implementation of the country’s NAP processes since 2018.
