Youth demand 40% of climate funds for north
A section of Ghanaian youth has called on the government to allocate at least 40 per cent of the country’s annual climate adaptation budget to the four northern regions to accelerate development and strengthen resilience in the area.
The youth said communities in the northern part of the country continued to bear the brunt of drought, desertification and erratic rainfall, making the region particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
They also called for the introduction of public community scorecards to track the allocation and use of climate funds, saying greater transparency and accountability were needed to ensure that climate finance reached vulnerable communities.
The demands were contained in a National Youth Statement adopted at the two-day Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) Ghana 2026, which ended on Sunday.
Held virtually under the theme: ‘Youth-Led Equity: Driving Fair Climate Solutions in Ghana,’ the conference brought together about 300 students, farmers, fisherfolk, entrepreneurs, researchers and community advocates from all 16 regions.
The conference was co-convened by the Starlight Foundation and Nalike Africa, with its outcomes expected to feed into climate processes ahead of COP31.
The youth said climate change was deepening existing inequalities, with communities in northern Ghana experiencing worsening drought and desertification, while coastal communities were losing land to rising sea levels.
They said erratic rainfall was also threatening agricultural production and livelihoods across the country.
In addition to the demand for increased climate adaptation funding for the north, the delegates proposed the establishment of a $5 million National Youth Climate Innovation Fund, in collaboration with the Ghana Climate Innovation Centre, to support youth-led green businesses.
They also called for a legal requirement for at least 30 per cent youth representation on national climate decision-making bodies, including Ghana’s delegation to the Conference of Parties (COP).
The youth further proposed a National Green Jobs Programme to create 50,000 green jobs by 2030, with targeted opportunities for women and young people in northern Ghana.
The statement also called for the Youth Climate Council Ghana to be made a statutory body with powers to review climate legislation and receive formal responses to its recommendations.
The delegates highlighted several youth-led initiatives aimed at addressing climate and environmental challenges while creating economic opportunities.
The initiatives include plastic waste recycling, manure-based composting, solar-powered irrigation, organic farming and the production of eco-friendly charcoal briquettes from agricultural waste.
McKingtorch Africa, for instance, converts plastic waste into everyday products, public infrastructure and art, while Reusable Bags GH produces sustainable packaging and reusable bags to reduce dependence on single-use plastics.
Bidigreen Ghana Limited converts agricultural waste into smokeless charcoal briquettes and pellets, while Green Court Farms promotes organic farming.
The Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) is also advocating greater youth participation in the governance of Ghana’s natural resources and environment.
The initiatives received further encouragement from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), which is providing $3,000 in seed funding for the conference’s top three innovations.
BY STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG
