Northern Ghana which includes the Northern, North East, Upper East, and Upper West regions -faces some of the worst extremities of these climate impacts in the country. Recent long droughts and unreliable patterns of rainfall, rising temperatures, and recurrent floods have had dramatic negative impacts on food security, water availability and the livelihoods of farmers practicing rain-fed agriculture. To address these challenges, climate finance from a wide range of international funds, bilateral partners and national programmes is being mobilised to bolster adaptation, resilience and the sustainable management of landscapes in the region.
Major Climate Finance Initiatives
Climate-resilient landscapes: for sustainable livelihoods – Green Climate Fund
The Climate-Resilient Landscapes for Sustainable Livelihoods Project, targeting northern Ghana, is one such climate finance initiative approved by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) in 2025. The project, in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and national Ghanaian entities is aimed at enhancing vulnerable smallholder farmers’ adaptation through climate-smart agricultural practices, enhanced water management, landscape restoration, and resilient infrastructure (Green Climate Fund 2025).
The initiative focuses on:
–US$63.2 million in GCF grant financing for a project to bolster agro-ecosystem resilience in eight northern districts of Ghana;
-The promotion of early warning systems to help local people predict droughts and floods.
- Containment and promotion of climate resilient agricultural practice, dry season farming.
- Restoration of damaged land to reduce risk from climate shocks.
- Direct and indirect climate-related benefits for up to 5 million people(Green Climate Fund, 2025; Ghana Meteorological Agency, 2025).
This multi-year endeavor demonstrates how climate financing targeted at a precise risk can lead to systemic transformation, enabling adaptation at the local community level while improving regional planning and early warning.
Hub and Spoke – Regreening Africa Initiative European Union Support
The EU-funded Regreening Africa Project (Second Phase) which is being implemented with NGOs including World Vision Ghana focuses mainly on the rehabilitation of degraded landscapes and contributing to resilience building in the North and Upper East regions. This project supports smallholder households to increase and diversify their food production through sustainable agroforestry management, resulting in improved soil health, increased food security, and stimulating green rural enterprises for women and youth (World Vision International, 2025).
Phase II will scale up the impact of land restoration to over 200,000 more households, following on from Phase I which restored almost one million hectares across multiple African countries.
Security of Water and Resilience to Climate
Another important theme of climate finance in north Ghana is a focus on IWRM. International development assisted activities – supported by donors such as Denmark’s DANIDA and implemented through the Ghanaian government agency Water Resources Commission – have helped contribute to progress in water security with climate-sensitive systems for rainwater harvesting, irrigation, and flood risk management (Water Resources Commission 2025). These considerations show that climate finance covers above all other things not only agricultural measures, but also crucial infrastructure for climate stability in the long term.
Landscape Restoration and Carbon Mitigation
Earlier investments, such as the Ghana Shea Landscape Emission Reductions Project, highlight long-term global commitments to northern Ghana. Approved in 2020 with funding of US$54.5 million, the project sought to restore savannah forests, reduce deforestation, sequester carbon, and create livelihood opportunities — particularly for women in the shea value chain (UNDP, 2020).
Critical Issues within Climate Finance Landscape in Northern Ghana
- a) Adaptation-Centred Approach
Adaptation and Resilience-Focused Climate Finance Initiatives for Northern Ghana The concentration of climate finance initiatives in northern Ghana is on adaptation and resilience rather than mitigation. This focus corresponds to urgent demands faced by communities that are confronted with climate-driven food insecurity and water scarcity. The projects favourting practical, locally led solutions such as climate-smart agriculture, diversified livelihoods and land restoration initiatives.
- b) Multi-Stakeholder Implementation
However, successful mobilization of climate finance in the region requires that multilateral institutions (such as the GCF), international partners (EC, UNEP), national entities (EPA, GMet andWRC) and civil society structures collaborate effectively with local communities. Such partnership model enables financial and technical resources to meet the local population’s felt needs.
- c) Wider Implementation of Early Warning and climate services
Improving climate services, in particular early warning systems, is a common theme among climated-funded projects. These projects empower smallholder farmers to plan by giving them actionable data and forecasting, helping mitigate losses due to extreme weather events.
Challenges and the Road Ahead
Despite these investments, several challenges persist:
- Access and capacity constraints at district and community levels can slow implementation.
- Predictable, sustained financing is required to transition from pilot interventions to comprehensive resilience frameworks.
- Ensuring equitable access for marginalised households and women farmers remains a priority.
- District and community-level access and capacity limitations can restrict projects roll out.
- There is a dire need for predictable and sustainable funding to move from testing ideas in pilots to broad, long-term resilience approaches.
- We need to make sure funding reaches poor households and women farmers who are most at risk from climate threats, yet can be best-placed to slow them down.
Conclusion
Northern Ghana’s climate finance ecosystem is evolving rapidly, with multi-million-dollar investments building resilience where it is most needed. Through adaptation projects, landscape restoration, climate services, and water security initiatives, climate finance is playing a pivotal role in helping rural communities withstand and adapt to a changing climate. Strengthened governance, sustained funding, and inclusive implementation will further enhance northern Ghana’s climate resilience and position the region as a model for integrated, community-driven climate action.
References
- Ghana Meteorological Agency. (2025). Green Climate Fund and UNEP boost climate adaptation with USD 120 million for new projects. Retrieved from https://www.meteo.gov.gh/news
- Green Climate Fund. (2025). Climate-Resilient Landscapes for Sustainable Livelihoods Project. Retrieved from https://www.greenclimate.fund/project/fp265
- (2020). Green Climate Fund approves US$54.5m project to reduce deforestation and carbon emissions in northern Ghana. Retrieved from https://www.undp.org/africa/press-releases
- Water Resources Commission. (2025). Climate change adaptation and water management in northern Ghana. Retrieved from https://wrc.gov.gh/ova_por/climate-change-adaptation
- World Vision International. (2025). EU-funded Regreening Africa Initiative launches second phase to combat land degradation. Retrieved from https://www.wvi.org/newsroom/ghana
