Climate Change and Local Governance: Politics, Policies and Prioritization of Adaptation in Adansi North District

Climate adaptation remains low on political agendas at the local level in most developing countries despite the reality of impacts being experienced already and a projection of the worsening of same. While the factors that account for the lack of climate action by local governments are countless, politics is the heavy hand behind it all, mediating both policy and the allocation of funds. This study sought to evaluate the awareness of relevant actors in AND on climate change and assess the extent to which they participate in planning. The study also sought to assess the extent to which adaptation policies are captured and budgeted for in the AND District Medium-Term Development Plan (DMTDP) and Composite Budget (CB) (2018-2021). The study took on a concurrent nested mixed methods approach as quantitative data on adaptation policies budgeted for in the DMTDP supplemented the vast qualitative data collected through interviews and semi-structured questionnaires. It emerged that while climate change awareness is appreciable among actors, there is lack of consensus on who should initiate climate action at the local level. 41% of the broad policies in the DMTDP also directly align with strategies adopted in Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions.