The Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA), in collaboration with UN-Habitat, convened a high-level Oversight Committee Meeting on the Ghana Smart SDG Cities Programme to assess progress and reaffirm commitment toward inclusive, resilient, and sustainable urban development.

Held in Accra, the session featured comprehensive presentations on the status of implementation, highlighting achievements, challenges, and next steps in the rollout of the Smart SDG Cities framework. Representatives from MLGCRA, UN-Habitat, and key Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) shared their respective workplans and strategic priorities.

Focal Persons from both UN-Habitat and MLGCRA led deliberations, ensuring alignment with global SDG benchmarks while emphasizing Ghana’s contextual realities. The meeting forms part of continuous stakeholder engagements to accelerate progress on smart urban innovations, digital infrastructure, and climate-responsive planning under the broader Green Cities and Infrastructure Programme.

The Ghana Smart SDG Cities Programme is a flagship initiative designed to localize the Sustainable Development Goals through data-driven governance, integrated planning, and community-focused solutions in rapidly growing urban areas.

Source: Darling Maame Efua Cann

(Public Relations Unit MLGDRD)

The Government of Liberia has officially concluded its three-day South-South Exchange Learning Visit to Ghana with resounding commendation for Ghana’s leadership in implementing the United Nations Capital Development Fund’s (UNCDF) Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) mechanism.

Held from April 23 to 25, 2025, the study tour marked the final phase of a comprehensive knowledge exchange programme that brought together senior officials from Liberia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ghana’s Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs (MLGCRA), alongside technical experts from UNCDF.

The closing debriefing session, chaired by Pln. Samuel Seth Passah, Director of the Local Government Directorate at MLGCRA, created space for reflection, feedback, and renewed commitment between the two countries. “This exchange has allowed us to view our work through a new lens,” Mr. Passah noted. “We welcome the feedback received and are committed to using it to further strengthen our local climate adaptation systems. Ghana stands ready to support Liberia as a long-term knowledge partner in this journey.”

Hon. Edward K. Mulbah, Deputy Minister for Research and Development Planning at Liberia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, speaking on behalf of the Liberian delegation, expressed deep appreciation for Ghana’s hospitality, transparency, and openness throughout the exchange. “We are truly inspired by the level of coordination, technical rigour, and community participation we have witnessed here,” he remarked. “From robust infrastructure delivery to inclusive planning, Ghana has demonstrated what it means to translate climate finance into results. These best practices will help shape our own rollout of the LoCAL mechanism in Liberia.”

During the tour, the Liberian team visited several LoCAL-funded project sites across the Ada East District in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region, observing practical, on-the-ground examples of climate adaptation. These included mechanised water systems addressing rural water insecurity, solar-powered irrigation for smallholder farmers, polyhouse farming innovations, and flood-resistant road infrastructure, each a clear demonstration of how climate action can be integrated into local development planning.

Key takeaways from the exchange included the importance of aligning climate adaptation investments with local development priorities, strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems, ensuring timely and quality delivery of infrastructure, and building strong technical capacity, particularly in engineering and supervision. Mr. Mulbah emphasized that these insights will directly inform the development of Liberia’s LoCAL implementation roadmap, with an emphasis on sustainability, accountability, and community ownership.

The exchange also provided a platform to explore how Liberia can effectively deploy Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRGs) in alignment with its ARREST Agenda, the national policy framework focusing on Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism. Discussions reinforced the importance of community-centred design, transparent resource flows, and active inter-governmental collaboration as pillars of effective decentralised climate action.

Ghana’s own success in this space, strengthened by the LoCAL-ACE and GrEEn projects, served as a practical reference point. Through these initiatives, Ghana has delivered not only climate-resilient infrastructure but also green employment and enterprise opportunities in targeted districts across the Ashanti and Western Regions.

The South-South exchange between Ghana and Liberia has reaffirmed the potential of intra-African collaboration to accelerate climate action at the local level. Through this partnership, both countries have strengthened their resolve to empower vulnerable communities, protect critical ecosystems, and build a future anchored in resilience, equity, and sustainable development.

Source: Sandra Owusu Asamoah/Melody Hini-Amoako

(Public Relations Unit MLGDRD)

Building on the high-level opening sessions of the South-South Exchange between Ghana and Liberia, the visiting Liberian delegation on Thursday, April 24, 2025, transitioned into field-level engagements with a series of technical site visits across the Ada East District in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region.

This critical component of the exchange provided an opportunity for the delegation led by Hon. Edward K. Mulbah, Deputy Minister for Research and Development Planning at Liberia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs to gain firsthand exposure to Ghana’s practical implementation of climate adaptation projects under the United Nations Capital Development Fund’s (UNCDF) Local Climate Adaptive Living Facility (LoCAL) mechanism.

Ghana’s operationalization of the LoCAL model, particularly through the Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRGs), has earned recognition across the subregion for its structured integration into local governance and its delivery of impactful, climate-smart infrastructure. For Liberia, which is in the early phases of establishing its own LoCAL framework, the field visit served as a living laboratory for institutional learning and knowledge transfer.

The first stop on the tour was the community of Gbanavie, located within Ada East, where a mechanised borehole and water storage facility have been constructed to combat prolonged water scarcity driven by erratic rainfall patterns. The infrastructure project exemplifies how local-level climate resilience initiatives can directly enhance public health and water access. Given Liberia’s parallel challenges in rural water supply, the delegation showed strong interest in the project’s design, sustainability model, and community engagement approach.

Next, in Angorsikope, also in the Greater Accra Region, the delegation examined a solar-powered mini-irrigation system featuring a submersible pump, part of an effort to strengthen food security amid shifting rainfall trends. The technology ensures year-round access to irrigation water and supports smallholder farmers in maintaining consistent crop yields. Liberia’s representatives were particularly drawn to the project's scalability and its relevance for remote agricultural zones back home.

The tour continued at the Ayigbo-Azizanya Road, where the construction of a culvert now links two communities previously cut off during heavy rains. The intervention, aimed at flood risk reduction and enhanced accessibility, demonstrated the convergence of climate adaptation with infrastructure development. The delegation engaged with local engineers and project supervisors to better understand the environmental assessments, materials, and civil works involved.

At Dzitrokwe, in the same district, the team visited rehabilitated polyhouse structures and micro-irrigation systems that have been installed to support agricultural productivity despite unpredictable weather patterns. These facilities enable farmers to cultivate crops in controlled environments and manage water use efficiently. The Liberian officials held detailed conversations with local farmers and project managers, drawing practical insights into maintenance frameworks, economic returns, and training models.

Throughout the field visit, the delegation interacted with assembly officials, engineers, and community stakeholders, reinforcing the core principles of the LoCAL approach: decentralisation, local ownership, and performance-driven delivery. The engagements went beyond technical observation, offering a rich exchange of ideas and experiences between two nations navigating the shared challenges of climate vulnerability.

Ghana’s climate programming, strengthened by the LoCAL-ACE project, which builds technical and institutional capacity for climate action and the GrEEn Project (Boosting Green Employment and Enterprise Opportunities), has provided a comprehensive support ecosystem across 13 Assemblies in the Ashanti and Western Regions. These initiatives have not only accelerated green infrastructure but also opened up employment and enterprise pathways for young people and women in climate-sensitive sectors.

The lessons learned are expected to play a foundational role in shaping Liberia’s LoCAL rollout, which is being aligned with the national ARREST Agenda, a flagship policy framework focused on Agriculture, Roads, Rule of Law, Education, Sanitation, and Tourism. Liberia’s commitment to integrating climate resilience into its decentralisation architecture, in line with the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals, was reaffirmed throughout the mission.

Source: Sandra Owusu Asamoah/Melody Hini-Amoako

(Public Relations Unit MLGDRD)