The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) has announced the completion of four years of climate adaptation work in Ghana funded by the Government of Norway through the Local Climate Adaptive Living - Applying Circular Economy and Climate-Smart Agriculture (LoCAL-ACE).

Implemented through UNCDF’s LoCAL, the initiative channelled climate finance through local government systems to support communities in identifying and implementing locally driven adaptation priorities. Over four years, UNCDF and its partners exceeded the target for people reached while strengthening local capacity to plan, finance and deliver climate-resilient investments.

With a total budget of $1.27 million, 87 percent was directed to local climate financing, training, awareness raising and associated costs. Through two rigorous Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grant (PBCRG) cycles, UNCDF used funds from Norway to finance 35 distinct climate-resilient infrastructure and circular economy investments. UNCDF and participating local governments reached more than 69,000 people across Ghana, surpassing the original target by 32 percent.

“Local governments and communities are key to building resilience that can last,” said John Mikal Kvistad, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Ghana. “On behalf of Norway, I would like to congratulate all those who took part in UNCDF’s LoCAL-ACE for their work in trying to build vibrant local economies.”

The project was conducted across six participating Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs): Sekyere Kumawu, Adansi South, Ada East, Efutu, Ahanta West and Nzema East and reached more than 34,000 women (49.7 percent of the total beneficiaries) demonstrating a strong commitment to inclusive development and gender equality. By prioritizing direct community engagement, UNCDF ensured that those most vulnerable to climate change impacts, as experienced at the local level, were the primary drivers and beneficiaries of the interventions.

"Thanks to the financial support of the Government of Norway, UNCDF’s LoCAL-ACE has made a difference in the lives of tens of thousands of Ghanaians,” said Damiano Borgogno, Global Manager of LoCAL, UNCDF. “What is core to our approach is our direct community engagement. Residents of the participating districts identified the investments their communities needed to make their lives and local economies more resilient to the climate change impacts they face."

Norwegian-funded activities targeted local projects included the construction of resilient bridges, culverts, and agricultural irrigation dams designed to secure year-round water access for farming communities. Other investments supported climate-smart agriculture and circular economy solutions, including organic waste composting, biofertilizer production facilities, and cassava processing units.

Notably, in the Ada East District Assembly, Norway financing supported the rehabilitation of a ventilated polyhouse structure equipped with a modern micro-irrigation system at Dzitrokwe. This specialized facility is now actively used for the reliable production of high-quality tomato seedlings, shielding local farmers' primary crops from increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and extreme heat.

The Norway-funded work built on UNCDF’s longer-term engagement with local governments in Ghana, including an earlier LoCAL pilot completed in 2019 and experience generated through the European Union-funded Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities in Ghana (GrEEn) initiative, which concluded in 2024. Alongside financing physical investments, UNCDF worked with participating local governments to strengthen climate planning and public financial management, including through Annual Performance Assessments.

A total of 239 individuals, including district planning officials and local government representatives, received specialized, practical training to build enduring climate adaptation skills. It empowered local governments to integrate climate risk assessments directly into their statutory medium-term development planning.

UNCDF worked closely with national authorities like the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), to advance the integration of climate considerations into national and local planning processes. This work is intended to strengthen institutional capacity to manage climate finance transparently and sustain climate-resilient planning beyond the current funding cycle. As the Norway-funded initiative concludes, the strengthened local systems and capacities provide a foundation for communities and local governments to continue identifying, financing and delivering locally led climate adaptation priorities.

UNCDF LoCAL-ACE Ghana results and achievements at a glance