The AMA boss, Mohammed Sowah, at the launch program in Accra
• A pilot program by the AMA to strengthen the informal sector has been outdoored
• The Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) program was established at the behest of C40 cities and the Climate Leadership Group
• The program will also address indiscriminate dumping and burning of solid waste, emissions from vehicles, and stationary energy
The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has launched the Inclusive Climate Action Pilot Programme in Accra to strengthen the alliance between the informal sector and city authorities to promote local ownership of climate action.
With a focus on the informal sector, the pilot program seeks to, among other things, engage stakeholders on inclusion and equity for climate action to promote inclusivity of process, policy and impact within the sector.
According to a statement from the AMA, the Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) Programme, which was established at the behest of C40 cities and Climate Leadership Group, aims at delivering leadership and advocacy support, technical and strategic assistance, training and peer-to-peer exchange on assessing and understanding the wider benefits of climate action, increasing capacity to engage inhabitants and stakeholders; and designing inclusive and just climate strategies.
Speaking at the launch held at the Accra City Hall on Tuesday, the Chief Executive of AMA, Mohammed Adjei Sowah, said 80 per cent of the Ghanaian workforce was employed in the informal sector hence the need to involve them in the city’s quest to uplift its standard.to promote local ownership of climate action and enhance the sector’s access to wider benefits of climate action.
“We are interested in this subject, especially because in our quest to build a city that is livable and resilient we cannot make progress without the active inclusion and direction of the informal sector. We are fully aware that the informal sector contributes over 80% of our workforce, so if this is the demographics of your city then it is very important that in your quest to uplift the standard special attention must be given to the informal sector to see how we can mainstream climate change into their programmes,” he said.
He said the change in rainfall pattern, evidence of tidal waves along the coast could be attributed to climate change therefore the need to sensitize stakeholders including the informal sector on the activities contributing to the changes in the environment.
The AMA boss cited the indiscriminate dumping and burning of solid waste, emissions from vehicles, and stationary energy as factors contributing to climate change in the city, adding that its economic cost was gigantic.
“Today the cost of climate change to the economy of the city of Accra is so huge that if we pay less attention to the negative things we do to the environment there would be a time that we will not be able to manage our city,” he said.
Sowah said in the pursuit of driving a climate change mitigation agenda the Accra Metropolitan Assembly has developed a Climate Action Plan, which has five key priority areas; namely waste, transportation, energy in buildings, land use, and the mainstreaming of climate issues in all activities.
“It is based on these activities that we then continue to engage all stakeholders in the city to pay particular attention to climate issues as we mainstream climate issues in every facet of our lives.
He said the AMA has put in place a policy to give discounts to developers in the processing of their building permits for incorporated climate-friendly ideas in their building design, adding: “This is to encourage the developers to mainstream climate change in their plans.”
Deputy Head of Waste Management at the AMA, Mr Kotey, said all stakeholders have a role to play to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the effects of climate change.
Through a new initiative of the ICA Programme, C40 would be supporting targeted engagement in over 20 champion cities across 5 regions focusing on delivering inclusive climate action, a just transition and demonstrating what C40’s vision for a Global Green New Deal (GGND) – including green and just recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic – looks like in practice in cities.
The launch which doubled as a stakeholder consultation event was attended by civil society organizations focused on climate change and the informal sector, the city team, research institutions and academia, and the media and facilitated by C40 City Advisors in Accra.
C40 is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change. C40 supports cities in collaborating effectively, sharing knowledge, and driving meaningful, measurable, and sustainable action on climate change.