Climate Communications and Local Governance-Africa (CCLG-Africa) has called for stronger coordination between Ghana’s environmental and local governance institutions, arguing that the country’s climate and environmental commitments will only deliver lasting results when they are translated into action at the community level.
The organisation made the call as it pledged support to newly sworn-in Environment, Science and Technology Minister, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, and Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Mahama Ayariga.
CCLG-Africa said the mandates of the two ministries were closely interconnected, particularly in tackling environmental degradation, improving sanitation and waste management, strengthening spatial planning and advancing climate action at the local level.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings, the Member of Parliament for Klottey Korle, and Mr Ayariga, MP for Bawku Central, were sworn into office by President John Dramani Mahama on August 29, 2026, following their approval by Parliament.
In a statement, CCLG-Africa said Dr Agyeman-Rawlings was assuming responsibility for Ghana’s environmental and climate agenda at a critical time and urged her to provide “fair, firm and fearless” leadership in confronting illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, and the degradation of forests, rivers and other ecosystems.
It called for stronger science-based environmental governance, regulation and enforcement, supported by a whole-of-government and all-of-society approach involving Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), traditional authorities, civil society, academia, the media, development partners, women and youth groups and affected communities.
A key priority, the organisation said, should be to make climate communication, community engagement and local-level climate action integral to environmental policy.
It argued that national environmental and climate commitments could only have a lasting impact when policies were understood, owned and implemented at the grassroots level.
On Mr Ayariga’s mandate, CCLG-Africa said effective decentralisation and accountable local institutions were central to achieving sustainable environmental outcomes.
It identified sanitation, spatial planning, waste management and meaningful community participation as areas where stronger local governance could directly support Ghana’s environmental and climate objectives.
The organisation therefore expressed readiness to work with Mr Ayariga and his Ministry to strengthen climate-responsive local governance and ensure that communities are not merely beneficiaries of environmental policies but active participants in their implementation.
CCLG-Africa also pledged its support to both ministers in advancing Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and in exploring opportunities for international cooperation on climate action under Article 6.
It said such collaboration would be anchored in its work at the intersection of climate communication, environmental sustainability, policy and grassroots governance, with particular emphasis on community engagement, knowledge-sharing, environmental justice, accountability and effective natural resource governance.
CCLG-Africa said closer collaboration among government institutions, local authorities, communities, civil society, the media and other stakeholders would be essential to addressing Ghana’s environmental challenges and translating national climate commitments into measurable action on the ground.
The organisation wished Dr Agyeman-Rawlings and Mr Ayariga wisdom, courage and success in their new roles.
By: Accranews
