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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 10, No. 5
Publication Date: May 25, 2023
DOI:10.14738/assrj.105.14380.
Weobong, C. A.-A., & Dovie, D. B. (2023). Climate Change and Disasters in The Three Northern Regions of Ghana. Advances in Social
Sciences Research Journal, 10(5). 19-29.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Climate Change and Disasters in The Three Northern Regions of
Ghana
Weobong, Conrad Atogi-Akwoa
FNRE, University for Development Studies,
Box 1882, Tamale, Ghana
Dovie, Delali B
Geography Dept, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
ABSTRACT
The study documented disaster events, their impacts and the strategies used by
local communities to avert or live with these disasters. A desk study approach was
used in data collection. Information from stakeholder organizations working on
climate change and related livelihood issues was collected. Data on disaster
occurrence, impacts as well as mitigation and adaptation strategies were also
obtained from individuals and groups in the communities of the research. The study
revealed that the occurrence of floods, drought, wildfires and famine have been
widespread in the study area in time and space. Rural communities have however
been able to cope with these disasters through self-help and solidarity of
households and informal social networks based on neighbourhood, kinship,
clansmen, friends and relatives, and religious ties. External support agents,
however, usually do not use these local structures. Such interventions miss the
really vulnerable in the community. Traditional people have profound knowledge
for disaster prediction. These include knowledge of local rain corridors, colour of
clouds, prolonged drought followed by storms, thunder and lightning during first
rains in the year, change in calls of birds, onset of breeding periods of birds as sign
of change in season.
Keywords: Climate change, disasters, livelihoods, indigenous knowledge, disaster
mitigation, disaster adaptation
INTRODUCTION
The new reality of development facing scientists and policymakers is, understanding the
impacts of climate change and variability on society. These impacts may in fact be manifest
through the form and frequency of occurrence of natural disasters such as droughts, wildfires,
floods and famine.
Africa is one of the most vulnerable continents to climate change and climate variability, a
situation aggravated by the interaction of ‘multiple stresses’, occurring at various levels, and
low adaptive capacity (Boko et al., 2007: 435). The climate of the continent is controlled by
complex maritime and terrestrial interactions that produce a variety of climates across a range
of regions, from the humid tropics to the hyper-arid Sahara.
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 10, Issue 5, May-2023
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The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, (2007), confirms that Africa is one of
the most vulnerable continents to climate change and variability because of multiple stresses
and its low adaptation capacity.
Ghana just like many other tropical countries is very much vulnerable to climate change and
variability. Desertification in Ghana is currently estimated to be proceeding at a rate of 20,000
hectares per annum thereby compromising water resources (EPA, 2009). Morton (2004) notes
that some of the most important impacts of climate change in developing countries will be felt
by smallholder farmers. Agriculture in Ghana is predominantly on a smallholder basis with
about 90 percent of farm holdings being less than 2 hectares in size and producing under rain- fed conditions. In northern Ghana, these farmers are usually involved in the cultivation of staple
grains including maize, rice, millet, sorghum, soybean, cowpea and groundnut, and also engage
in the rearing of small ruminants such as sheep and goats (MoFA, 2010).
Ghana’s economic and human development is vulnerable to climate change and climate-related
shocks. Since 1960, Ghana’s average annual mean temperature has increased by around 1
degree Celsius. Rainfall has been erratic resulting in extreme weather and climate events. These
have increasedinfrequency andmagnitude,triggering floods, droughts, andheatwaves. Without
prompt global and local climate actions, higher temperatures and heat stress will affect crop
and labor productivity. Modeling the damages in a macroeconomic framework suggests they
could increase poverty rates by at least 1 to 2 percentage points by 2050, when compared to
a scenario with no climate change (The World Bank Group, 2022).
Climate-related damages are anticipated to rise substantially after 2050. By 2050, Ghana’s
average temperature is projected to rise by 1 to 3 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial
levels, exposing over 20 million Ghanaians (roughly 67 percent of the population) to extreme
heat every five years. Beyond 2050, severe heatwave events will become more frequent and
affect almost the entire population, while some parts of Ghana will experience near-unliveable
conditions (Xu, Chi, et al. 2020). Direct losses from flooding may reach US$400 million annually
unless strong adaptation measures are taken locally and mitigation measures taken globally
(The World Bank Group, 2022).
Rising temperatures will reduce yields for most of Ghana’s crops, affecting producer incomes,
raising costs of living, and harming cash crop exports. With more pessimistic (RCP 8.5)
temperature increases of 1.12 degrees Celsius by 2050, yields are expected to fall by 1 to 21
percent, with most crops in the 2 to 6 percent range. This is expected to translate to average
price increases of around 13 percent, compared to a no climate change scenario. Yields of
Ghana’s leading cash crop, cocoa, are expected to fall 5.5 percent by 2050 under RCP 8.5
warming, which will impact export revenues.
While there are multiple national, subnational, and sectoral strategies addressing climate
change, they are not well aligned, and coordination is limited. Roles and responsibilities are
fragmented across ministries and agencies, which dilutes responsibility and accountability.
The Ministry of Environment Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI) is responsible for
climate change issues and houses the National Climate Change Committee (NCC), which
consists of Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs,) development partners, the Parliament,
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and the private sector. There is also the National
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Weobong, C. A.-A., & Dovie, D. B. (2023). Climate Change and Disasters in The Three Northern Regions of Ghana. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 10(5). 19-29.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.105.14380
Environmental and Natural Resources Council (NENRC), chaired by the Vice President which
has an oversight role over MESTI. The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has a broad
mandate to protect the environment and provides technical support. In addition to these,
several MDAs have established climate change units, indicators, and plans that overlap. Within
the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the Natural Resources, Environment, and Climate Change Unit
(NRECCU) oversees, coordinates, and manages financing of and support for climate-related
activities. These structures, while clear, are not fully operational and there are limited
feedback loops to allow for real- time adjustments (The World Bank Group, 2022).
Community-based natural resource management can build adaptive capacity to climate shocks
and diversify local livelihoods. Ghana has Community Resource Management Areas (CREMA)
that enables community-driven land use planning. However, supporting legislation, including
the Wildlife Resource Management Bill can add momentum to scaling-up of CREMAs, and
strengthen the enforcement of existing regulations, such as those related to charcoal
production to ensure the sustainable harvesting of trees by communities.
In Ghana, the challenge of climate variability/change can be associated with disasters. The
major droughts of 1968-73, 1982-85 and 1990-92, particularly that of 1983, caused serious
hydrological imbalances that adversely affected land resources production systems in Ghana,
especially soil quality, fresh water supplies, vegetation and crops. The results were shortages
in food production, famine and a general decline in human livelihood (EPA, 2002; 70).
These droughts led to concomitant occurrences of wildfires. These had devastating effects on
flora and fauna and led to a general degradation of ecosystems and their functionality.
Consequently, the government passed legislation to control wildfire occurrence. However the
anti-wildfire law (PNDC Law 229) has not been effective in arresting the problem of wildfires.
The Fire Service has not had adequate legal support in dealing with offenders and the role of
traditional rulers and Tindanas (traditional land owners) in the enforcement of the law is not
adequately recognised.
The aim of disaster response should be to increase people’s capacities to better deal with
adverse events. This could be achieved firstly through understanding people’s perception of
disasters, disaster preparedness and their coping and adapting mechanisms and secondly
through strengthening the existing coping and adapting mechanisms which do not affect the
basis of their livelihood or impact negatively on other communities and future generations. It
is also essential not to view communities, who are already suffering from disasters, as passive
recipients of disaster relief. This may tend to decrease their self-reliance and increase people’s
vulnerabilities to forthcoming disasters. In order to break the vicious cycle, it is important that
“victims” become the main actors and take part in the decision making in disaster response.
In northern Ghana, soil erosion, wildfires and overgrazing are increasing exposure to drought
and wildfire risks (Armah et al., 2011). While drought is the dominant concern in this region,
flooding is also a persistent risk. Wildfires are an important contributor to deforestation and
forest loss in the dry savanna zone of Ghana, accounting for an increasing annual loss of 3%
(US$24 million) of gross domestic product (EPA, 2003). Apart from the economic costs,
wildfires also reduce biodiversity through shifting floral composition towards fire-tolerant
species, such as Milicia excelsa and Antiaris toxicaria, which dominate in post-fire savannah
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landscapes in Ghana (FORIG, 2003). The government has consequently promulgated a new
policy, the National Climate Change Policy (NCCP).
Ghana’s National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) was developed in 2012 (but formally launched
in 2014), as a complementary document to the Ghana Shared Growth and Development Agenda
(GSGDA) II, Ghana’s medium-term national development policy framework (2014-2017). Its
development was led by the National Climate Change Committee with technical support from
the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The vision of the NCCP is “to ensure a climate-resilient
and climate compatible economy while achieving sustainable development through equitable
low carbon economic growth for Ghana” (MEST, 2012). Five focus areas for action on climate
change are identified: agriculture and food security; disaster preparedness and response;
natural resource management; equitable social development; and energy, industrial and
infrastructural development.
The National Climate Change Policy provides strategic direction and coordinates issues of
climate change in Ghana. The three objectives of the Policy are effective adaptation, social
development and mitigation.
More than 80% of the disasters in Ghana are considered to be climate-related. Climate change
is expected to increase the frequency and magnitude of many types of extreme events such as
floods, droughts and wildfires. There are the direct economic, physical and human losses;
however, the indirect impact on production time, cost of essential goods and services, or market
shares cannot be ignored. While the adverse impact of climate change on society may increase
disaster risk, disasters erode environmental and social resilience, and thus increase
vulnerability to climate change (Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation,
MESTI (2013).
The goal, therefore, is to build a climate-resilient society — a society that can rely on effective
early warning and response systems, where everyone has a broad understanding of climate
hazards, and where the emphasis is on disaster preparedness and prevention, rather than on
disaster response. The Government is moving the emphasis from disaster risk management
that deals with the immediate aftermath of a disaster, to long-term disaster resilience.
Traditional knowledge has been critical in conserving natural resources, protecting the
environment, making farming decisions, predicting weather, managing health and coping with
extreme climate variability. It is important to document indigenous knowledge into early
warning systems and research and to establish its potential for scaling up.
METHODOLOGY
Study Area
The Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions of Ghana harbour the poorest 30% of the
population in the country. It is estimated that about 70% of the population in the three regions
live below the national poverty line, as compared to the national average of 27%. Indeed, the
World Bank notes that, "almost 90% of the people in the Upper East Region are poor. All except
10% of the people in the Upper West Region are poor”.
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Weobong, C. A.-A., & Dovie, D. B. (2023). Climate Change and Disasters in The Three Northern Regions of Ghana. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 10(5). 19-29.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.105.14380
The study area is mostly Guinea Savannah, with a small area of Sudan Savannah in the upper
east corner. Thirty (30) to 40 per cent of the total land area of Ghana experiences some form of
land degradation (Government of Ghana, 2002). Most of this is concentrated in the northern
drier part of the country and certain coastal zones. The main problems experienced are
deforestation, overgrazing, soil erosion, water pollution, inadequate supplies of potable water,
poaching and habitat destruction.
In Ghana, though land degradation is an on-going process in all parts of the country at various
scales and intensities, desertification is more prevalent in the Guinea and Sudan savannah
zones of the Northern, Upper-East and Upper-West regions where the aridity index is 0.6 for
the northern region and 0.54 for the Upper-East and West Regions (EPA, 2002; 67)
Field Surveys
Data was collected at multiple levels (Regional and District offices) as well as multi-location
(Upper East, Upper West and Northern Regions) and institutional settings (governmental and
non-governmental institutions) all working on climate change and related livelihood issues.
Stakeholder discussions at both governmental and non-governmental levels were undertaken.
Data was collected in its raw form and in reports. Qualitative information from reports were
categorized in to the thematic output areas and coded where necessary to allow for effective
analysis. Data on disaster occurrence, impacts as well as mitigation and adaptation strategies
were also obtained from individuals and groups in the communities in the research area.
SPSS Statistical package was used to analyze the quantitative data collected. Open coding
techniques, were used to capture and analyze the qualitative data collected in the interviews.
Findings from the quantitative and qualitative sources were triangulated at multiple levels to
establish insights that would otherwise have been unavailable from single source data.
Triangulation was used to allow for assessments of consistency or otherwise of findings across
partner organizations, firms and/or geographical locations of interventions.
REGIONAL/ GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION OF DISASTER OCCURRENCE AND ITS
IMPACTS
Floods
On average, flooding affects around 45,000 Ghanaians every year. Indeed, extreme
precipitation events will become more frequent with a hightened magnitude, contributing to
increased flood risk (Eberle, Ulrich et al., 2020). The Average Annual Loss (AAL) due to floods
is currently estimated at US$100 million. Under an RCP 8.5 scenario, this is expected to double
to US$200 million by 2050, with direct losses expected to fall mostly on infrastructure (34
percent), residential buildings (28 percent), and agriculture (16 percent). The full economic
costs of flooding are likely to be much higher, due mainly to destroyed infrastructure such as
bridges, health facilities, educational facilities and risk aversion to floods deterring productive
investments, consequently undermining the stability of public finances (The World Bank
Group, 2022).
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The frequency of occurrence of flood events recorded high disparities in the three northern
regions of Ghana. The Northern Region recorded the least frequency (6%) of occurrence of
flood events. The Upper East region recorded the highest occurrence of sixty-nine (69%)
percent while the Upper West was second with twenty-five (25%) percent. These results are
contrary to popular knowledge, which suggests that the Northern Region has the highest
occurrence of floods. Indeed, this popular knowledge may be due to the fact that the flood
impacts in the Northern Region have been huge notwithstanding the low frequency of
occurrence, thereby attracting a lot of media attention and public concern. The intensity of
rainfall and its variability increases as we move towards the more arid areas of northern Ghana.
Thus, although annual rainfall amounts from the Meteorological Services Department’s data are
lower in the Upper East region than the Northern Region, local residents indicate that the rains
in the Upper East Region occur in torrents leading to localized flooding events. The flooding
events in the Upper East is further encouraged by the low-lying lands in the Sisili, White Volta
and Red Volta basins which frequently receive flood waters. The impacts of these flood waters
may be regulated to some extent by the Nasia wetland thus decreasing their impacts in the
Northern Region.
SOME LIFE EXPERIENCES OF THE 2007 FLOODS
“The rain came heavy and fell all rooms and killed most of our animals and carried away our
rice, millet, groundnuts and beans”
By Abagpok Atiita (Doninga, UER, Ghana)
“It carried the stored foods away and those that could be saved was destroyed; the flood came
and left behind sickness like cholera and malaria making me to spend lot of money for their
treatment”
By J.A. Anaadem (Sandema, UER, Ghana)
“When the flood came, we were able to pack some of our properties but could not move with
the affected land types (fixed assets) and the flood washed away every property we had; our
food stuffs were washed away and the buildings destroyed for we did not have enough to eat
and no place to sleep”
By Ajaaka (Chuchuliga, UER, Ghana)
Source: START Field Research Data, 2009 (Unpublished)
Coping Strategies Adaptation Strategies
• Rebuilding of damaged structures
• Replanting of destroyed crops
• Movement from flooded areas to higher grounds
• Immediate resettlement of affected people
• Opening of flooded water retention structures
especially on farmlands like earth bunds
• Seek for assistance in the form of food aid and
clothing
• Sale of animals that turn to survive the disaster.
• Settling on uplands and allowing free flow of
flood waters.
• Harvesting and use of flood waters especially
in the dry season.
• Raise more animals to compensate for
animals killed during flood times.
• Building using cement instead of earth or mud
• Develop Proper Land-use Planning for areas
without land plans
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Weobong, C. A.-A., & Dovie, D. B. (2023). Climate Change and Disasters in The Three Northern Regions of Ghana. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 10(5). 19-29.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.105.14380
In places where the flood events are regular and severe the local people have resorted to
various measures to live with the floods (adaptation). Some people have permanently moved
and resettled in upland areas. Others have built structures to harvest flood waters for
agricultural use during the dry season. The people have also changed the design and
construction of their buildings, moving away from mud housing to sandcrete buildings.
Drought
Under present climate conditions, thirteen (13%) percent of the population is estimated to be
affected by drought, particularly in northern Ghana. While future precipitation patterns are
uncertain, pessimistic models predict that total annual rainfall could decline by 12 percent by
2050. If so, average annual losses (AALs) from droughts are expected to increase significantly,
from US$95 million in 2020 to more than US$325 million, per year by 2050 (The World Bank
Group, 2022).
Drought or dry spells occur frequently in northern Ghana. Indeed every year a dry spell occurs
within the raining season. Some years that have actually been labelled as flood years (e.g. 2007)
are also drought years. This is due primarily to the variability and inconsistency in the rainfall
pattern. The study consequently considered only the prolonged dry spells as drought. The
distribution of the frequency of occurrence of these is relatively even in the three regions. The
Upper East Region recorded the highest frequency of occurrence of 37%. The Northern and
Upper West regions recorded 31.5% frequency of occurrence.
Coping Strategies Adaptation Strategies
“Olden days”
• Enquiry from the gods and performing sacrifices
before the onset of the rains
• “Call” rains
• Consult soothsayer for further action
• People drank water from any source they can get
• People depended on wells and dug-outs.
• They eat food stored in their barns
• They sell animals to buy grain from markets
• Family members support each other.
• They resort to eating wild fruits (foods)
Recent Times:
• Resort to additional livelihood activities like
craftsmanship and paid jobs instead of relying on
rainfed agriculture
• Remittances especially from relations.
• Dependence on groundwater using boreholes
• Mixed cropping, mixed farming, dry season
gardening as well as better soil and water
management strategies.
• Using more drought tolerant varieties of
millet and adapting farming practices
from experienced migrant drought- farmers from Burkina Faso
• Sowing more than one variety of a crop
or different crop specie which gives
advantage on survival.
• Early planting, mixed cropping, and use
of drought resistant varieties.
• Reduce area of cultivation and replant
destroyed farmlands.
• Revive old traditions used in storing
excess harvest from good farm years
and using the water in times of need.
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Wildfires
Wildfire occurrence is an annual affair. Every year fires are set to vegetation during the dry
season. These fires burn the vegetation causing destruction at various severity levels. Due to
the regular nature of occurrence, they have not been listed except those that caused wide scale
destruction of vegetation, lives and property.
Support for fire management interventions driven by local leadership will need to increase. In
most parts of Ghana, wildfires occur frequently and up to 90 percent of the total area of the dry
northern savanna zone is prone to annual bushfires.
The Meteorological Services Department has climate data that allows them to make predictions
of impending weather events. Predictions on rainfall and temperature events are made that
serve as indicators or warning of the possibility of flooding, drought or wildfires occurring in
the region. These warnings are made on national media as well as through line agencies
working in the communities
Famine
Famine occurs when there is a major disruption of the food producing capacities of the people
and this is greatly affected or influenced by environmental factors like rainfall. Farming is the
major occupation of the people in the northern regions and it is mainly rain-fed and on
subsistence basis. Rainfall amounts and distribution vary in the region but not to the levels
where there would be major disparities in the food production capacities. Consequently, the
distribution of the frequency of occurrence of famine in the northern regions is the same.
The people resorted to eating wild fruits and depended heavily on external donations of their
basic needs for survival. The subsequently resorted to the use of drought resistant varieties as
a long-term solution to avert famine
INDIGENOUS INSTITUTIONS AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE IN DISASTER
MANAGEMENT
Indigenous knowledge, such as knowledge of local rain corridors, colour of clouds, prolonged
drought followed by storms, thunder and lightning during first rains in the year, changes in cries
of birds, onset of mating periods of birds as signs of change in season, etc, are used in predicting
the local weather conditions and are useful in disaster management. Cultural beliefs in disaster
management remain deeply rooted in the northern regions. For example, rainmakers and earth
priests (tindana) still play a major role in disaster predictions. These institutions and
mechanisms should therefore form the basis for any sustainable intervention in disaster
management.
The role played by local support networks is more important than just relief. Local networks
such as neighbourhood, kinship, clansmen, friends and relatives, and religious ties, are durable,
more efficient and can guarantee longer-term food security than external relief, which normally
lasts no longer than six months following an emergency. Developing local networks avoids
dependency of local communities on external donors.
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Weobong, C. A.-A., & Dovie, D. B. (2023). Climate Change and Disasters in The Three Northern Regions of Ghana. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 10(5). 19-29.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.105.14380
INDIGENOUS MECHANISMS FOR COPING WITH DISASTERS
Self-help and solidarity of households and communities are equally as important as material
assets in the face of disaster. Social support is not a quantifiable mechanism but nevertheless
constitutes the backbone of coping mechanisms in the regions. Vulnerable people have no
surplus income to invest in the measures that can protect them from disasters although they
know what to do. They individually or collectively develop their own means, resources and
strategies to cope with disasters. Social capital, e.g., reciprocal support among neighbours,
support from immediate family members and wider kinship networks, is a vital safety net for
them in coping with disasters.
ADAPTATION MECHANISMS USED BY LOCAL COMMUNITIES
Changing Cropping Pattern and Practices
There has been a change in the climate in the region as observed by the indicators of change.
The rainfall pattern and season have changed. Rainfall is less predictable now; the raining
season starts late and ends early in recent times. The temperature has also changed. The
weather conditions are now a lot warmer than pertained in the “olden days”. Some persons say
the changes that are occurring in the climate are not unexpected. Indeed,they contend that what
is happening now has happened in history and that it is a natural historical cycle of events. The
gravity of the current situation is the rate at which the change is occurring and this is
attributable to the irresponsible behaviour of not respecting and treating “mother earth” well
through the abuse of her use. Farmers have adopted various short-term measures to take care
of the situation but the persistence of the changes in the weather conditions have led to some
changes in the lives and live practices of the people in these regions. Consequently, farmers are
changing their farming practices. They now use early maturing indigenous varieties. They have
also returned to mixed cropping as a strategy to counter the variability in the weather events.
Many farmers are also shifting back to traditional methods, which are organic, instead of
chemical fertilizers.
House Construction Practices
Communities in low lying flood prone areas have continuously lost their buildings to flood
events. The buildings are constructed with mud and roofed with either mud or thatch. The flood
waters soak these buildings and collapse them. Consequently, the people have now resorted to
using sandcrete structures instead of the mud buildings. Sandcrete buildings are able to
withstand the floods.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Ghana is developing Early Warning Systems (EWSs), but these tools and technologies are
nascent in the country and not fully integrated. The Ghana Meteorological service oversees
weather and climate monitoring and alerts. Information is passed to NADMO’s Emergency
Operation Centres, where warnings are internally distributed and, with support of MMDAs,
publicly disseminated. Ghana has initiated Flood EWS in the Volta River Basin and Greater
Accra Region (under development), but significant gaps remain on the quality of the warning
and the geographic and sectoral coverage. Seasonal forecast and agrometeorological
information are available to farmers, although these can be improved with more advanced and
reliable tools. Therefore, despite some progress, challenges persist in the implementation and
effectiveness of EWS, particularly related to the integration of systems, operations and
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emergency control, and last-mile communication to reach remote and affected populations and
farmers. To improve them, Ghana should consider:
1. Expanding and improving meteorological, hydrological, and agrometeorological
systems, infrastructure, and capacities to allow for better coverage and more reliable
forecasts, scaling up remote sensing techniques, and providing continuous training of
staff in relevant institutions.
2. Strengthening information and data management systems and developing risk mapping
and risk-based warnings for more effective planning, response, and last-mile
communication to populations at risk and farmers, in conjunction with the private sector
and global/regional centres.
3. Strengthening response and support capacities in NADMO, MMDAs, and other relevant
instructions, along with creating awareness and response capacity in local communities.
4. Fostering coordination across institutions and levels of government by further
formalizing roles and responsibilities and facilitating data and information sharing. And
regular simulation exercises.
5. Investing in risk mitigation for relatively frequent disaster events, which are driving
losses and impacts, and develop strategies to deal with residual risks.
Disasters are recurring and perpetuated by the vulnerability of livelihood options. It is
recommended that disaster management programming should focus increasingly on
addressing the causes of vulnerability in order to mitigate the effects of disaster. The most
vulnerable that should be targeted in any relief intervention should include female headed
households, small size households, households with lowest literacy rates, and low income
households. External interveners should work to strengthen the capacities of indigenous
institutions for disaster management by providing community organizational development
support that enables them mobilize their communities and their natural resources to develop
action plans to diversify their livelihood options using the available natural resources e.g.. Water
harvesting, storage and distribution or water management methodologies, local seed exchanges
between communities, raising environmental awareness, growing of indigenous crops, etc.
• It is recommended that integrating indigenous knowledge of the signs of on-coming
disasters and modern communication technology could offer a powerful means for rapid
response to disasters.
• Technological advancement of early warnings must not be used to undermine the
traditional knowledge of local communities about disasters. Efforts should be made to
facilitate the integration of these two kinds of knowledge, taking the better aspects of
the traditional knowledge into the modern system, to enhance community
understanding of the causes of disasters and improve mechanisms for prevention,
mitigation and response.
• Traditional authorities can work as channels of communication between technical
experts and government entities, and rural communities. The advantage of this is that
as traditional authorities are largely legitimized in their communities, the probability of
conflict or rejection of information disseminated through them is very low.
• Intervention in disaster management should not ignore or undermine the social capital
of the local people; otherwise, this will inevitably increase vulnerabilities of
communities. Disaster interveners should seek to promote activities that mobilize and
strengthen local resources and capacities for self-management at household and
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Weobong, C. A.-A., & Dovie, D. B. (2023). Climate Change and Disasters in The Three Northern Regions of Ghana. Advances in Social Sciences
Research Journal, 10(5). 19-29.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.105.14380
community level.
• Indigenous (traditional) farming systems (mixed farming) should be encouraged since
they are more suitable to the local weather conditions.
• Whilst conceding that sandcrete buildings are stronger and better able to withstand the
effects of flooding, it is by no means the most suitable method of adapting to flooding.
Sand Crete buildings with metal roofing are not really suitable in regulating
temperatures (without air-conditioning) in the rooms within an environment that
characteristically has very high temperatures. It may be useful for people in flood prone
areas to do a critical self –assessment of their situation using the own methods of
analysis and consultation so as to relocate to suitable higher grounds
Funding and/or Conflicts of interests/Competing interests
I used personal funds in undertaking this research. There is therefore no conflict of interest.
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