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Stakeholder consultations on access to green finance in Ghana

July 31, 2018

30-31 July 2018, Accra, Ghana - National stakeholders convened in late July to provide feedback on PAGE’s draft study on access to green finance for businesses in Ghana. Green – or sustainable – finance can be loosely defined as finance resources generated to target positive social, economic and environmental outcomes or business practices.

The meetings took place after an initial consultation, held on July 13th, which provided an opportunity for representatives from the financial sector, representatives from the Bank of Ghana and the Ministry of Finance, and representatives from other ministries that serve on the PAGE Ghana Steering Committee to review and provide feedback on an initial draft of the study.

This most recent meeting served as a forum for obtaining feedback on the study from a wider selection of stakeholders including representatives from business and industry associations, rural lenders, academia, media, UN agencies, bilateral donors, and the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation. It also provided an opportunity for participants to share information about the challenges businesses face in obtaining green finance and provided insights into the criteria lenders apply in deciding whether to grant loans in support of green objectives to businesses. The participants also divided themselves into small groups to brainstorm around key topics: policy levers to drive green finance lending, development of a green finance programme and capacity building requirements.

The feedback gathered from participants over the course of the two consultations will be used to further develop the PAGE study on access to green finance in Ghana. This study is intended to help policymakers address encumbrances to access to green finance and simultaneously generate demand from businesses for such financing. The feedback from the second consultation will also inform a green finance capacity building programme also supported by PAGE that will be implemented by a national learning institution. The institution will be chosen through a competitive bidding process administered by PAGE.

Ghana: Green Economy and SDG Media Training

June 28, 2018

28 June 2018, Aburi, Ghana – PAGE and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), held a media training on climate change and green economy entitled “Coverage of Climate Change and Green Economy-Related Sustainable Development Goals in Decentralized Development Work”.

The training gathered journalists and other media practitioners from the southern zone of Ghana, which included the Greater Accra region and neighboring Western, Volta, Central and Eastern regions to deepen their understanding of green economy related concepts, the SDGs and climate change. During the opening remarks for the Southern zone training in Aburi, the Minister for MESTI, whose speech was delivered on his behalf by the Head of Human Resources at the Ministry, underscored the importance of strengthening the awareness and knowledge of the media as change agents and advocates for championing the path of Ghana to a green economy. At the training, participants shared experiences on covering climate change and green economy related news, and now have an improved knowledge base to develop compelling stories that raise awareness among the general public and policymakers.

The training also delved into the process of mainstreaming green economy, climate change and SDGs into Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs), enabling media stakeholders to hold public officials accountable and helping foster a productive and healthy media environment. This effort is complementary to the PAGE assessment on “Mainstreaming Climate Change, and Green Economy SDGs into the Development Plans of MMDA’s”, available here.

Additional trainings aimed at media practitioners are expected to take place in July in the city of Kumasi in the Ashanti region, for Ghanaian regions of the northern zone, namely the Upper East, Brong-Ahafo, Northern, Ashanti and Upper West regions.

Media coverage of the training is available at:

Ghana’s financial system driving the transition towards green economy

March 28, 2018

Accra, Ghana 28 March 2018 – In Ghana, the national bank is in the process of developing sustainable banking principles – that is, a set of rules that would require financial institutions to develop a management approach that balances the social and environmental risks with profit opportunities.

The move takes place in a context of significant leadership by the Ghanaian government on putting into place green economic policies in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and the country’s ambitions under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It is now becoming evident that these efforts are piquing the interest of the private sector, which is recognizing that business models that promote environmental and social well-being have enormous potential to thrive in Ghana.

Now, the Government and the private sector are working together to build to a sustainable financial system; exemplifying the importance of multi-stakeholder and cross-sectoral action towards green economy. With support from the IFC and the Government of Switzerland, the Bank of Ghana has already set seven principles to guide all banking activities. Additionally, private sector stakeholders have identified five sectors of the Ghanaian economy that will be targeted for improved environmental and social governance: manufacturing, energy and power, construction and real estate, mining, oil and gas, and agriculture and forestry.

To understand how best to apply sustainable banking principles in these five priority sectors, the Bank of Ghana hosted a stakeholder consultation on March 28 in Accra. Representatives from the Bank of Ghana, Ghana Association of Bankers, Environmental Protection Agency, Ministry of Finance, banking institutions, businesses, academia and international organizations attended the consultation.

The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) is aiming to identify the gaps in the policy environment that, once filled, would drive demand for socially and environmentally sustainable banking services. To do this, and to complement the sustainable banking principles, PAGE is collaborating with the UN Environment Finance Initiative (UNEP FI) to undertake a green finance study in Ghana. The PAGE-supported study will assess the level of integration of sustainability in the business sector’s operations, value chains and products and services in Ghana, and the taxonomies, frameworks, capacities, assessment methodologies and practices, structures and information disclosures available or needed for the identification and scaling up of green finance opportunities.

Representatives from PAGE and UNEP FI participated in the stakeholder consultations and presented the aims of the green finance study.

The forthcoming study will support the implementation of the Sustainable Banking Principles, particularly Principle 1 which requires banks to work with their clients to identify, measure, mitigate and monitor environmental and social risks.

Ghana Holds National Dialogue on Decent Work and a ‘Just Transition’ to a Green Economy

January 29, 2018

INTRODUCTION

24 January 2018, Accra, Ghana - The National Dialogue on Decent Work and “Just Transition” to a Sustainable Economy and Society for all was organized by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relation in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The two Ministries received technical and financial support from PAGE. The discussion centred on the “The Roles of Tripartite Constituents in Sustainable Development”.

The event, which took place at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel on Wednesday, 24th January 2018, brought together stakeholders from all sectors of the national economy. These included government agencies, trade unions, the Ghana Employers’ Association, academia, development partners and civil society organizations.

BRIEF BACKGROUND
The Paris Agreement requires individual countries to implement initiatives that mitigate the impacts of climate. In view of this and other frameworks, Ghana has developed its Nationally Determined Contributions and 31 prioritized programmes and projects. However, the mitigation and adaption actions themselves present a host of negative impacts, particularly on work. In order to address the issues, the International Labour Organization has developed non-binding Policy Guidelines for countries aspiring to green their economies.

PURPOSE OF THE NATIONAL DIALOGUE
The purpose of the dialogue was to provide a platform to actors at the national level to discuss possible options for synchronizing climate change and labour/ decent job creation policies within the context of the “Just Transition” concept.

ISSUES AT THE TECHNICAL SESSION
The following issues and concerns emerged at the plenary during the technical presentations and discussion:

The impacts of climate change and the response measures on jobs and work are inevitable.
There are complexities in adjusting to the “Just Transition” concept in the labour market.
Green job skills, training and education programmes are non-existing or do not enable the labour force take advantage of opportunities.
Workers in the informal economy and energy are the most vulnerable.
There is inadequate collaboration between government agencies in implementing of the components of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The impact of the NDCs on existing and future jobs has not been fully and rigorously evaluated.
There is the need for alternative measures to control the adverse effects of the structural changes required for ‘Just Transition’ to be successful in Ghana.

PAGE National Steering Committee Meets in Ghana

October 10, 2017

16-17 August 2017, Ghana - The two-day PAGE National Steering Committee meeting was held from 16-17 August in Ghana. 28 participants from relevant Ministries, Department and Agencies as well as private sector and academia attended the meeting to define priority actions and sectors to focus PAGE support.

The Steering Committee consists of stakeholders from Ministries of Employment and Labour Relations, Trade and Industry, Energy, Tourism, Culture and Arts, Finance and Economic Planning and Water Resources, Works and Housing, Energy Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, Private Enterprises Federation, Association of Ghana industries, among others.

The National Steering Committee met to discuss PAGE’s implementation of work streams in: (1) Mainstreaming Inclusive Green Economy (IGE) in national developing planning aligned with the SDGs and Ghana’s contributions towards the Paris Climate Agreement; (2) Green finance; (3) Green industry and entrepreneurship; and (4) Foundational learning on IGE at national and sub-national level. PAGE and National Steering Committee members are now advancing these work streams and creating synergies with related initiatives in the country including SWITCH Africa Green.

Ghana Accelerates Agenda for Climate Change Learning in Schools

August 22, 2017

August 14 2017, Accra, Ghana - The energy was high in the room as Mrs. Patricia Appiagye, Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation crowned the gathering assembled to celebrate the inclusion of Climate Change and Green Economy into the National School Curricula. Young children in Ghana will be aware of climate change and green economy concepts as they go through school.

The 10-year Climate Change Learning Strategy, a fruit of an extensive and multi stakeholder effort, lays out 13 priorities that need to be implemented to incorporate climate change and green economy learning into the experiences of the Ghanaian society.

The Climate Change Learning Strategy is a product of UN CC:Learn in the effort to improve learning and awareness about climate change. Ghana is an example of the program’s high level of impact at the National level, where UN CC:Learn has enabled the Climate Change Learning Strategy to prepare future generations with the explanations about what they can do to minimize the impacts of climate change.

The workshop was also an opportunity to share experiences. Mrs. Sarah Natunga from Uganda pointed out that it is extraordinary to see her peers in Ghana face such a challenging issue, and highlighted that the process in Ghana was happening at exactly the precise time. “In Uganda, we included climate change into the school curricula at a point when the curricula were not being revised.” In Ghana, the National Climate Change Learning Strategy coincided with the formal revision of the National School Curricula and the workshop helped formalize Ghana Education Services evident support and compromise with the National Climate Change Learning Strategy.

The next challenge the National Climate Change Learning Strategy will face is Parliament approval and formal inclusion into the country’s strategic framework. There is ample reason for optimism as the National Climate Change Learning Strategy is a fundamental aspect that will contribute to the uptake of the National Determined Contributions (NDCs) that country formalized as per the Paris Agreement.

About UN CC:Learn

UN CC:Learn is a partnership of more than 30 multilateral organizations supporting countries to design and implement systematic, recurrent and results-oriented climate change learning. At the global level, the partnership supports knowledge-sharing, promotes the development of common climate change learning materials, and coordinates learning interventions through a collaboration of UN agencies and other partners. At the national level, UN CC:Learn supports countries in developing and implementing national climate change learning strategies. Through its engagement at the national and global levels, UN CC:Learn contributes to the implementation of Article 6 of the UNFCCC on training, education and public awareness-raising, and the 2012-2020 Doha Work Programme. Funding for UN CC:Learn is provided by the Swiss Government and UN partners. The Secretariat for UN CC:Learn is hosted by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR).

This article originally appeared on the UN CC:Learn website. For the original version, please click here

My experience as a PAGE trainer

July 5, 2017

July 5 2017, Accra, Ghana - Rahinatu Sidiki Alare is a Technical Officer at the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies (IESS) at the University of Ghana. She is one of the many men and women who comprise the PAGE Community of Trainers, an initiative launched through a training of trainers (ToT) event in Turin in October 2016. Here, Rahinatu provides a short update on how she is using what she learned on green economy in Turin back home in Ghana:

“The Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies organizes regular seminars during which experts in related fields share research activities with staff, students and the university community. These seminars are also organized for students (MPhil & PhD) to present their research findings as part of their course work at the Institute. During one of such seminars, I had the opportunity to give a presentation on the issue of Green Fiscal Reform and Ghana’s Experience using the materials from Turin. The audience also interacted by asking various questions related to the presentation. Among the audience present at the seminar was the Programme Coordinator of the Institute, research fellows and students. The slides and case study materials were shared among the audience for further reading and practice.”

PAGE has been working on building up a pool of local trainers that can deliver learning action on core green economy themes. Many of the participants of the ToT in Turin in October 2016 are now actively advancing green economy learning in their home countries. Bat Buyantsogt, a professor of economics at the National University of Mongolia, for example, is carrying-out a feasibility study on integrating green economy learning into university curricula. Satchuda Arnachellum, another trainer, has supported the set-up of a partnership between the Civil Service College of Mauritius and UNITAR to run a green economy learning assessment; and Seynabou Diouf is playing a crucial role in developing a national network of green economy education and research institutes in Senegal.

March - Climate Innovation Center to Jumpstart Ghana's Green Economy

February 25, 2016

Accra, Ghana, 3 February 2016 — The World Bank Group announced the upcoming launch of a Climate Innovation Center (CIC) in Accra to support Ghana's green growth strategy. The CIC will support Ghana's National Climate Change Policy (NCCP), spearheaded by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and will be financed through a US$17.2 million grant package recently approved by the World Bank Group.

PAGE also supports the NCCP through resource efficiency in agro-industries, Green Economy (GE) public advocacy and social dialogue, GE training/capacity building and GE Knowledge Sharing.

The Ghana CIC will help more than 100 local clean technology companies to develop and scale innovative solutions to climate change, and over 300,000 Ghanaians to increase resilience to climate change in the next ten years. Furthermore, through its support to local clean technology ventures, the center is expected to mitigate 660,000 tons of CO2 and contribute to the production of over 260 million kWh of clean energy.

The center will be established at the Ashesi University College in Berekuso, with a mandate to support green businesses across all of Ghana's regions. The grant agreement was signed by Henry Kerali, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, and Patrick Awuah, Founder and President of Ashesi University College.

"The Ghana CIC solidifies the role of the private sector in helping Ghana mitigate and adapt to climate change," said Henry Kerali. "By enabling entrepreneurs and green innovators to test and scale their business models, homegrown clean technology solutions can help the country build climate resilience, while also creating jobs and fostering economic growth."

Supported by the governments of Denmark and the Netherlands, the center will be inaugurated in the second quarter of 2016 and will be managed by a consortium led by the Ashesi University College with Ernst & Young, SNV Netherlands Development Organization, and the United Nations University Institute for Natural Resources in Africa.

The Ghana CIC is part of the World Bank's Climate Technology Program and its global network of Climate Innovation Centers. Other centers have been established in Kenya, Ethiopia, the Caribbean, South Africa, Morocco, and Vietnam.

For more information on the center, please visit www.infodev.org/climate or www.ghanacic.org

PAGE releases four country-level Green Industry Assessments

February 1, 2016

1 February 2016 - The Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE) is pleased to announce the release of four country-level Green Industry Assessments. The assessments provide in-depth examinations of the role of industry in facilitating the transition to a green economy in each country. They also provide analysis of current industrial patterns and review relevant planning and policy. The assessments include recommendations for how governments can better support the transition to green industrial production.

The four assessments being released are:

• L’industrie Verte au Burkina Faso: Évaluation et perspectives de développement
• Ghana: the role of Green Industry and Trade
• Perú: la Transición Hacia Una Industria Verde: Perspectivas de la industria manufacturera
• L’industrie Verte au Senegal: Évaluation et perspectives de développement

L’industrie Verte au Burkina Faso: Évaluation et perspectives de développement
This study identifies many strengths and assets which can support and facilitate the transition to green industry in Burkina Faso, as well as many challenges which may impede progress. The study provides recommendations for how a green industry transition can succeed.
Click here to read the report

Ghana: Green Industry and Trade Assement
This assessment provides an in-depth examination of the role of industry and trade in facilitating the transition to a green economy in Ghana. The assessment reviews the multiple planning and policy regimes in place. It identifies a set of both modified and new policies to support the transition to green industrial production and trade. The report identifies further opportunities for the international community to assist Ghana to transform its economy.
Click here to read the report

Perú: la Transición Hacia Una Industria Verde: Perspectivas de la industria manufacturera
This assessment investigates the potential for green industry in Peru and provides recommendations for the creation and support of green industry as a fundamental part of the country’s transition to a green economy.
Click here to read the report

L’industrie Verte au Senegal: Évaluation et perspectives de développement
This study analyses the opportunities that Senegal has for advancing green industry as well as the obstacles that must be overcome in order to realize a green industry transition. It examines political and legislative constraints as well as technological and human capacities. It provides recommendations for how to address constraints in order to realize a green industry transition.
Click here to read the report

PAGE Week Held in Ghana

December 21, 2015

Accra, Ghana, 17-18 December 2015 - PAGE Week was held in Accra under the theme "Ghana’s Sustainable Development Agenda: Aligning Policies For Green Economy Transition”. The event, jointly organised by the Government of Ghana and PAGE, offered national actors a platform to review progress and share experiences on the transition toward a green economy in Ghana. The two day event focused on the main achievements in the country’s second year as a PAGE partner and looked at new opportunities to continue on the path towards an inclusive green economy in line with the objectives of the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda (GSGDAII).

The event was kicked off by UN Resident Coordinator Mrs. Christine Evans-Klock, where the incredible contribution to COP21 made by Ghana was acknowledged and PAGE was highlighted as a tool to implement CC mitigation, based on the foundation of solid assessments. The Environment Minister, Hon. Mahama Ayarig, recognised PAGE as an avenue to build on sustainable production and consumption measures, emphasising a need to change regulation and policies, as well as a change of attitude and consciousness. The first day also saw the launch of the Ghana Green Economy Assessment Report.