A new research has revealed that nearly three million people could migrate from northern Ghana to the south due to the harsh effects of climate change.

This revelation came to light during the graduation ceremony of 18 Ghanaian students under the resilience against climate change-social transformation research and policy advocacy project.

Researchers have warned that this mass movement could have serious socio-economic implications for both rural and urban areas.

At the graduation, David Quaye, a researcher and beneficiary of the European Union REACH –STR highlighted the urgency of the situation.

“A degree in temperature increase which is estimated to be, well looking at current emission scenario, by 2050 average temperatures could reach about one degree higher and that would correspond to about 2.6 million people migrating from northern Ghana. So these figures are very alarming and we need to take them out to policymakers because what it means is that there's going to be impact in urban centers and as well as origin centers where the migrants are coming. So it goes both ways, migration has both positive and negative impacts.

"So what we need to do is comprehensive policy making that looks at both urban centers and destination areas and then in origin centers. So for example, policies need to look at how we can ensure the cultivation of more climate-resistant crops. So, from the research, maize comes up as one of the crops that is very resistant to climate variation. So we need to look at cultivating maize more to be able to stabilize the migration process during this period”.

The Deputy Country Director of The International Water Management Institute, Dr. Birhanu Zemadim said the findings will help stakeholders design targeted interventions to curb rural-urban migration.

“While celebrating these academic achievements, today also offers us an opportunity for dialogue, a space where we can engage with stakeholders to explore the implications of the students' research findings. We will discuss how these insights can influence policies, development strategies, and future research efforts, especially in areas of gender, migration, climate resilience, and others. Together, we will identify knowledge gaps and determine the next steps to ensure that our climate resilience efforts are grounded in sound, evidence-based strategies.

“As we move forward through today's program, let's remember that the knowledge shared by these graduate students is just the beginning of what will be a long-term and collaborative effort to build a more climate-resilient future. As we engage with the research and discuss future actions, I encourage all of us to continue working together, building on this momentum, and fostering collaboration, innovation, and policy change that will drive climate resilience now and in the years to come”.

Also at the event was the Head of Cooperation of the EU Delegation to Ghana, Massimo Mina who stressed that the EU Ghana partnership is committed to tracking climate change and driving policy conversations.

“The interest of this research is that it can fit directly into the development of policies which are informed, which are based on scientific, solid, rigorous research. And this is important, so it fits directly into the development of new initiatives, new policies which take into account these elements.

"It's important because it is part of a much broader Ghana Agricultural Programme and there is a component related to very practical and concrete activities to support the agribusiness and to support the resilience to climate change. so these findings can also help to tailor better and to adjust the actions which we have planned and which are under implementation under our programme”.

The REACH-STR project is aimed towards the promotion of inclusive and sustainable economic policies in northern Ghana by 2025.