Not Just Technical Solutions, Climate Action Must Be People-Centred, Inclusive, & Accountable – TI Ghana

As climate change continues to negatively impact communities, threaten livelihoods, and deepen inequality, Transparency International Ghana (TI Ghana) is calling for a major shift in how climate action is designed and delivered.

Transparency International Ghana, formerly Ghana Integrity Initiative, believes Ghana’s climate response must go beyond just technical fixes to embrace inclusive, transparent, and accountable systems that truly serve the people, especially the most vulnerable.

Speaking at the National Multistakeholder Dialogue on Climate Policy Implementation, Dr. Samuel Tetteh Kwashie, Board Vice Chair of TI Ghana, emphasised that climate change is not just an environmental issue, but a development crisis that affects every aspect of life, from food security and jobs to health and equity.

“The climate crisis demands not only technical solutions, but inclusive, transparent, and accountable systems that leave no one behind,” Dr. Kwashie noted.

Climate Action Is a Development Challenge

The Board Vice Chair of TI-Ghana, in his remarks, further reminded stakeholders that the climate crisis cuts across critical development sectors, and its impact is felt most harshly by smallholder farmers, fisherfolk, forest communities, women, youth, and the urban poor.

For this reason, he stressed that climate action must be people-centred and governance-oriented.

He said, “We believe that the climate action must be people-centred and governance-oriented. It must be participatory and equitable, especially for communities most vulnerable to the devastating effects of climate change, smallholder farmers, fisherfolk, forest communities, and the urban poor.

Building Systems that Include All Voices

One of the biggest concerns raised at the dialogue was that many citizens are unaware of Ghana’s climate policies, such as the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) or the National Adaptation Plan.

Even worse, citizens often have no role in shaping or monitoring how these policies are implemented.

TI Ghana believes the solution lies in strengthening citizen participation, ensuring access to information, and building systems of accountability where local people can question decisions, track funding, and co-create solutions.

Dr. Kwashie indicated that TI Ghana is committed to working with civil society, traditional leaders, women, and youth to make sure no one is left out. The people, he says, must not just be beneficiaries, but they must be watchdogs and advocates.

 Localising the Climate Agenda

Another major concern of TI Ghana is localising climate action. TI Ghana called for the full involvement of district assemblies, local governments, and grassroots groups in the implementation of national climate goals.

The organization says the practice where climate policies are enacted in Accra, with little input from those on the ground who face the daily realities of climate change, must be changed..

The dialogue urged that local actors be empowered to lead climate projects, manage resources, and be held accountable to their communities.

Dialogue as a Turning Point

The multistakeholder dialogue brought together key voices—government officials, traditional authorities, civil society, women and youth leaders, and development partners. According to TI Ghana, this diverse participation is the kind of inclusive climate governance Ghana needs.

“Let us move beyond rhetoric and work towards realistic, actionable pathways that can influence policy practice and implementation on the ground,,” Dr. Kwashie charged participants.

For TI Ghana, Climate action in Ghana must be transparent, inclusive, and accountable. It must be rooted in the lived realities of Ghanaians. And it must serve not only the planet but also the people.

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