Ghana has launched the African Union’s Continental Africa Water Investment Programme, known as the Multi-Country Green Climate Fund (GCF) Readiness Project, marking a significant step towards strengthening climate resilience and sustainable water management.

The initiative, championed under the African Union’s “Invest in Water” campaign, seeks to mobilise political commitment and financial resources to address water security challenges across the continent.

Ghana is among 15 African countries participating in the programme's first phase.

Speaking at the launch in Accra on Monday, the Finance Minister, Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, in a speech read on his behalf, said the Green Climate Fund remained the world’s largest multilateral climate finance mechanism, supporting developing countries to tackle climate vulnerabilities.

Under the GCF Readiness Support Programme, Ghana has undertaken capacity needs assessments for the National Designated Authority (NDA), potential Direct Access Entities (DAEs), and executing entities.

Dr Forson disclosed that Ghana had secured eight approved GCF Readiness programmes valued at US$5,620,630 to strengthen national capacity and coordination systems for climate action.

He explained that the Readiness Project would help transform high-level political commitments into practical action by developing a pipeline of bankable water projects, strengthening institutional capacity, and accelerating access to climate finance.

“Ghana’s economy remains heavily dependent on climate-sensitive sectors such as agriculture, forestry and energy,” he said.

“Erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells are already affecting water levels in our reservoirs, impacting hydropower generation and contributing to power supply challenges.”

Dr Forson said inadequate water supply during dry seasons was undermining agricultural productivity, increasing production costs, and threatening national food security.

To address these challenges, the Government has introduced the Revised National Water Policy (2024), which integrates considerations of climate variability into sustainable water resource management.

Ghana’s Updated Nationally Determined Contribution also identifies the water sector as a key priority among 47 climate actions for the 2020–2030 period.

The Minister announced plans to operationalise and capitalise a Project Preparation Fund under the Public-Private Partnership framework to attract greater private-sector participation and unlock blended-finance opportunities for climate-resilient infrastructure.

Despite the progress made, he acknowledged that a significant investment gap remained in climate-resilient water infrastructure and called for stronger national capacity, long-term planning, and technically sound, financially viable projects.

Kenneth Gilbert Adjei, the Minister of Works and Housing, called for stronger institutional coordination and scaled investment in climate-resilient water infrastructure.

He said climate change was no longer a distant threat but a lived reality, with erratic rainfall, prolonged droughts, floods, coastal erosion, and watershed degradation already affecting water security, agriculture, energy production, public health, and livelihoods.

“Water sits at the centre of Ghana’s climate resilience agenda,” he stated, stressing that sustained and climate-aligned investment in the sector was critical to safeguarding national development gains.

Mr Adjei noted that despite improvements in access to basic water services, disparities persisted between urban and rural communities, while sanitation and hygiene coverage remained low.

Ageing infrastructure and high levels of non-revenue water continued to undermine efficiency, he noted.

To meet Ghana’s commitments under its Nationally Determined Contributions and National Adaptation Plan, he sai,d predictable and scaled financing was required.

“The financing gap remains substantial. Public resources alone will not be sufficient. We must design bankable, programmatic, climate-resilient investments capable of attracting concessional finance, grants, and blended capital,” he emphasised.

He disclosed that a Situational Analysis had been completed and Investment Objectives defined, with the next phase focusing on refining the financing strategy, developing a robust project pipeline, aligning environmental and social safeguards with GCF requirements, and establishing an implementation roadmap.

Mr. Adjei urged stakeholders to ensure the programme remained technically sound, socially inclusive, gender-responsive, and implementation-ready, noting that climate finance should serve as a tool for systemic transformation rather than an end in itself.

“Ghana is committed to building a resilient, water-secure future. With continued partnership and coordinated action, we can position ourselves to access and effectively deploy climate finance at the scale required,” he said.

The Water Investment Programme is designed to align sector investments with Ghana’s climate policies and long-term development strategy, prioritise climate-resilient infrastructure and nature-based solutions.

It is also to strengthen integrated water resources management, enhance project preparation capacity to meet GCF standards, and develop a clear financing strategy leveraging public, private, and climate finance sources.

The event brought together representatives of the Global Water Partnership, government institutions, development partners, civil society organisations, private-sector actors, and technical experts to advance Ghana’s comprehensive Water Investment Programme.