Accra, Ghana — In a major step toward building climate resilience and safeguarding agricultural livelihoods, Ghana has officially launched the Climate-Resilient Landscapes for Sustainable Livelihoods in Northern Ghana (CRLSLNG) project.
The seven-year, US$63 million initiative is designed to protect vulnerable farming communities across Northern Ghana from the compounding threats of prolonged droughts, flash flooding, erratic rainfall, and severe land degradation.
Financed by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) serving as the accredited entity, the project targets 120 communities across the North East, Upper East, and Upper West regions. Over its implementation period, the project will restore approximately 14,000 hectares of degraded landscapes, directly benefiting more than 690,000 people while strengthening the climate resilience of an estimated 2.9 million indirect beneficiaries.
Multi-Sectoral Strategy for Northern Landscapes
Northern Ghana remains uniquely exposed to shifting rainfall patterns, reduced soil fertility, and extreme weather events. To tackle these challenges holistically, the CRLSLNG project integrates landscape restoration with climate-smart agricultural practices, early-warning systems, enhanced water governance, and diversified livelihood options.
Key pillars of the 7-year execution plan include:
Landscape & Ecosystem Restoration: Implementing Nature-based Solutions (NbS), including extensive agroforestry, soil conservation, and community-led land management.
Early-Warning Infrastructure: Enhancing hydrometeorological data systems to provide timely drought and flood warnings to rural households.
Sustainable Agricultural Livelihoods: Promoting climate-resilient farming techniques, smallholder credit access, and market-linked opportunities to ensure food security during dry seasons.
The Strategic Role of the Water Resources Commission (WRC)
Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) serves as the backbone of the project’s hydrological interventions. As a core executing partner, the Water Resources Commission (WRC) will lead targeted efforts to protect natural drainage systems, stabilize riverbanks, and manage watershed basins.
WRC’s key areas of intervention include:
Riverbank Reforestation & Buffer Zone Protection: Restoring degraded riparian zones to prevent riverbank erosion, reduce siltation in major water bodies, and absorb peak floodwaters.
Groundwater & Surface Water Governance: Monitoring abstraction levels, protecting recharge zones, and securing sustainable water sources for year-round agricultural use.
Local Technical Assistance: Partnering directly with District Assemblies, local planners, and farming groups to deploy efficient water storage, small-scale irrigation infrastructure, and sustainable land-use planning.
Highlighting the Commission’s commitment, James Aggrey, Senior Officer for Surface Water at the WRC, noted that technical support to district planners and communities will focus on equipping farmers with practical tools for water harvesting, surface water conservation, and adaptive agricultural strategies to withstand climate shocks.
Bridging Policy, Technology, and Community Action
Speaking at the launch event, the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation, Hon. Samuel Nartey George, stressed that environmental restoration efforts must be reinforced by real-time digital communication channels.
He emphasized that complex meteorological data and early-warning alerts on impending floods or droughts must be delivered to farmers promptly, reliably, and in local languages. Technology, he noted, must ultimately translate into accessible, actionable insights for rural farmers on the ground.
Inter-Agency Collaboration
The CRLSLNG project was collaboratively developed by key state institutions, including the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), and the Water Resources Commission (WRC).
Through unified policy enforcement, landscape restoration, and resource management, the initiative creates a comprehensive framework for securing Ghana’s northern basins, protecting ecosystems, and ensuring long-term socio-economic stability.
