GHANAIANS should brace for extreme heat conditions in the coming years as climate change is expected to push temperatures higher, a new Climate Atlas by the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) has warned.
The report, which projects climate trends over the next 100 years, indicates that Ghana’s average annual temperature could rise by about 1.4°C to 29.2°C, with the most intense warming expected during the December–January–February period.
The warning comes amid already rising temperatures across the country, with residents in cities such as Accra experiencing unusually hot days and nights in recent months.
At its launch in Accra on Friday, the Deputy Director-General in charge of Operations at GMet, Dr Ignatius Kweku Williams, said Northern Ghana, labelled as the Sudan Savannah zone, was expected to be the hardest hit, emerging as a warming hotspot with the highest temperature increases.
He said the rising temperatures could have serious implications for food production, public health and other critical sectors of the economy if efforts to tackle climate change are not intensified.
The Climate Atlas, developed in collaboration with the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) with support from the Danish Embassy in Ghana, provides detailed climate data across the country’s ecological zones to guide national adaptation planning and investment decisions. It assesses climate change across three key parameters: temperature, rainfall and sea level rise.
Dr Williams noted that climate change was no longer a distant threat but a present and growing risk to Ghana’s development, warning that without urgent adaptation measures, up to one million Ghanaians could be pushed into poverty by 2050.
He called for immediate actions to forestall climate-related disasters, including strengthening drainage systems, investing in climate-resilient agriculture and protecting vulnerable coastal and northern communities.
“The cost of adaptation today is far lower than the cost of a disaster tomorrow,” he emphasised.
Launching the platform, the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, described the Atlas as a “scientific compass” to guide national planning, improve resilience and support Ghana’s transition to a climate-smart economy.
He urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to make effective use of the Atlas in formulating policies, designing infrastructure and preparing local development plans.
“Climate information is no longer a luxury for scientific research; it is now essential for development planning, economic management and national resilience,” he said.
According to the Minister, the Atlas would enable government agencies to move from broad estimates to precise, localised data in planning, especially in identifying climate risk hotspots and projecting future conditions.
The launch marked a significant step in strengthening Ghana’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, particularly in improving climate risk assessment, adaptation planning and data reporting.
The Danish Ambassador to Ghana, Jakob Linulf, said the Atlas was centered on improving human welfare, noting that it would help mitigate conflict, reduce human suffering and promote stability and prosperity in the country.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
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