Climate Change office at presidency to coordinate national response to climate – Technical Advisor

Technical Advisor at the Office of the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Cedric Dzelu, says the newly created office will serve as the political coordinating hub for all climate-related efforts across government ministries, departments, and agencies.

Speaking during the JoyNews National Dialogue on Coordinating Climate Actions on Thursday, July 3, he explained that President John Mahama’s decision to establish the Ministry of Climate Change at the presidency was a deliberate move to centralise leadership and accelerate the country’s climate resilience agenda.

“One of the first acts in government by the President was to realign government machinery. By doing so, he created the Office of the Minister of State at the presidency in charge of climate change and sustainability,” Mr Dzelu noted.

“This is the highest political wheel or demonstration to bring more focus to climate change leadership and governance in Ghana,” he added.

Mr. Dzelu stated that the climate crisis cuts across every sector of national life, from agriculture and health to energy and the interior, and that, until now, action had been scattered across institutions with little coordination.

“So the President, who himself is a climate champion, sought the wisdom to establish this office to serve as a coordinating point, to bring together these bureaus, ministries and climate actors to provide that political direction,” he said.

When asked how the office is working in practical terms to harmonise efforts on the ground, Mr. Dzelu outlined how various specialised agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), NADMO, and the Energy Commission continue to play important roles, but require alignment and strategic coordination.

“For those who have been looking at the Ghanaian landscape in terms of climate change, we know that there are specialised bodies that are focused on different components of climate change,” he explained.

“Chiefly among them is the EPA, which serves as the technical arm. Aside from that, we have NADMO, which deals with induced climate disasters, and the Energy Commission, among others.”

According to him, the new office’s role is not to override the mandates of these bodies but to ensure that they work in tandem toward a unified national goal.

“At our end, we are looking at coordinating the activities of all of these actors, making sure they are well aligned,” he said.

“You can say that the Office of the Minister of Climate Change and Sustainability is that climate compass — we are showing a sense of direction where all the other sectors, ministers and other bodies would align and then move toward the same course.”

He added that the office is also committed to ensuring that climate strategies are cascaded to local communities, not just limited to policy discussions in Accra.