Ghana’s Measures on Climate Change: The National Green Jobs Strategy

The year, 2023, was hit with several reportage on the negative impact of global warming and climate change. The negative impact of the climate change is characterized by extreme weather conditions such as floods, heat waves, changes in the weather patterns, drought, heavy down pours, eroding soil fertility, seasonal shift, among others, across the world. Notable among the countries hit with these negative impact of climate change, among others, is Ghana, Canada, and United State of America.

Besides, there is also enough scientific studies based on Researchers from the University of Manitoba and fifteen other institution to suggest that the ice belt at the North Pole is melting and these events are bound to have dire consequences on human life if measures are not taken.

The extreme weather conditions attributed to climate change is caused by persistent increasing global temperatures which is referred to as Global warming. According to Scientist, Global warming is happening due to accumulation of huge volumes of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide, methane, and among others, in the atmosphere because of human activity. Some of the human activities include the introduction of machines for commercial mass production, particularly the diesel engines and locomotives, burning furnace, illegal mining ( galamsey), burning of fossil fuel, coal, oil and gas .

Consequent to the negative impact of global warming and climate change on human lives and development, there was consensus at the global and national levels for governments to put in place measures to curb emissions thereby increasingly prioritizing sustainable development strategies to preserve the environment, prevent biodiversity loss, and pollution at all levels (air, water, and food).

Following, Ghana signed onto the Paris Agreement on Climate Change in 2016 and developed a Nationally Determined Contribution Framework to indicate how the country would contribute to the reduction of emissions.

Ghana, a nation with abundant natural resources and a growing economy, recognizes the importance of integrating environmental sustainability into its development agenda in order to preserve and conserve the environment for future generations as well as ensure a safe place for habitation.

As part of these effort, Ghana under the headship of the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Hon. Ignatuis Baffour Awuah and in collaboration with stakeholders have developed a National Green Jobs Strategy (NGJS) as a response measure to curb emissions, as well as ensure a coordinated framework to guide the implementation of measures for the minimization of job losses and maximization of potential job creation opportunities of the emerging green economy.

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About The National Green Jobs Strategy (NGJS):

The overall aim of the NGJS is to support the creation of green jobs through coherent and effective policy coordination of sectoral approaches. Specifically, the objectives are as follows:

• To ensure policy alignment, coherence, and coordination for the maximization of green jobs.
• To develop employable skills, particularly for the youth, women and PWDS to take advantage of existing and emerging jobs potential.
• To support the creation of green jobs across sectors through the promotion of sustainable and competitive green enterprises and markets
• To mobilize and facilitate access to sustainable financing for green enterprises through inter sectoral collaboration and cooperation.

The NGJS has four (4) Components it aims to undertake. They are namely Component (1) which focuses on Green Jobs Coordination Capacity Development Project, Component (2) being Green Skills Development Project, Component (3) to deal with Green Enterprise Development Project and Access for green products and finally, Component 4 to handle Green Enterprise Finance Project.

Some key activities to be undertaken the components are incorporating green jobs into public employment programmes, sector policies, develop a database of green interventions, create awareness of green job opportunities, establish green jobs coordination platforms, develop green professionals and occupational courses , develop green curricula and organize green skills training.

Sectors for Green Impact:
In implementing the strategy, the nation is prioritizing green sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, forestry, and waste management and recycling, construction, ecotourism and nature based tourism.

Meanwhile, the Ministry with funding support from development partners such as SNV, Ghana and the ILO have so far organized regional awareness and sensitization programmes in Accra, Tamale, Oti , Kumasi , koforidua, Capecoast, Takoradi and Ho to make people become abreast with the issues of climate change and the response measure adopted by government , while ensuring that people will make the necessary efforts to change their behaviors and through a collective action, Ghana can pave the way for a greener and more prosperous tomorrow.

The writer is the Head of Public Affairs Unit at the MELR & staff of the ISD.