By Albert Oppong-Ansah, GNA
Antalya (Türkiye), Nov. 11, GNA – Climate investment can create jobs, strengthen economies and protect vulnerable communities from climate-related losses, the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability says.
He noted that climate action should be treated as an investment in economic development rather than an act of charity, with projects designed to deliver practical benefits such as reliable energy, resilient infrastructure, employment and improved livelihoods.
Mr Issifu made the remarks at side event on aligning Climate Prosperity Plans with the Green Belt and Road Initiative and translating the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) commitments into country investment projects at the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya.
He said Ghana was working to connect its climate commitments with investment opportunities through its Nationally Determined Contributions, National Green Finance Taxonomy and efforts to strengthen coordination among public institutions.
The Minister said the country’s Climate Prosperity Plan was intended to identify investment opportunities that could support its development priorities while addressing climate change.
He noted, however, that access to affordable finance and the need to avoid unsustainable debt remained important considerations for developing countries seeking to implement climate projects.
Mr Issifu welcomed China’s commitment under the FOCAC Beijing Action Plan for 2025–2027 to support 30 clean energy and green development projects in Africa.
He said the priority was to translate such commitments into well-prepared projects capable of attracting funding, technology and implementation partners.
Country Platforms and Climate Prosperity Plans, he explained, could help governments identify priority areas, prepare investment projects and coordinate the support needed to implement them.
He said partnerships under the Green Belt and Road Initiative should reflect African countries’ development priorities, strengthen local expertise and deliver lasting benefits to communities.
The Minister also highlighted the importance of climate investment in addressing the human and economic costs of climate-related displacement.
Speaking at a separate event on climate mobility and prosperity organised by the Climate Vulnerable Forum and V20, he said floods, droughts and other climate shocks were damaging harvests, homes and small businesses, forcing some people to leave their communities in search of safety and livelihoods.
He said the ability of people to remain safely in their homes depended partly on whether governments and communities had the resources to prepare for climate risks and recover when disasters occurred.
Mr Issifu cited estimates indicating that V20 economies had lost about one-fifth of their potential gross domestic product since 2000 because of climate-related impacts.
The V20 comprises 77 climate-vulnerable countries with a combined population of about 1.8 billion people.
He said the situation was made more difficult by declining development and humanitarian assistance, high borrowing costs and the limited financial capacity of vulnerable countries to respond to repeated climate shocks.
The Minister identified the V20 Loss and Damage Funding Programme as one mechanism designed to support affected communities through national and local institutions.
The programme provides assistance to households, smallholder farmers and small businesses affected by climate-related losses, while helping countries strengthen their own systems for delivering support.
He said such interventions were important in ensuring that climate finance reached people whose homes, livelihoods and businesses were directly affected by extreme weather events.
Mr Issifu said climate prosperity must therefore be measured not only by the plans governments developed or the commitments made at international meetings, but also by the projects completed, investments mobilised, jobs created and communities made more resilient.
Ghana hosts the headquarters of the Climate Vulnerable Forum and its associated V20 Finance Ministers’ group, which brings together countries facing significant climate risks.
Source: Ghana News Agency (GNA)
