Developing countries are struggling to translate climate adaptation plans into concrete action due to inadequate financing, capacity constraints and implementation challenges, climate experts and policymakers have said.
The experts said although significant progress had been made in developing National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), implementation remained slow amid increasing climate-related threats, including floods, droughts and heatwaves.
Nana Dr Antwi-Boasiako Amoah, Director of Adaptation, Climate Resilience and Risk Management at the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), said moving from policy design to implementation remained a critical challenge for many countries.
He said this at the opening of a three-day peer review event in Accra, bringing together government officials and adaptation practitioners from Ghana, Kenya, South Africa and the Netherlands.
The event is aimed at sharing experiences and identifying practical approaches to accelerating climate adaptation efforts and bridging the gap between planning and implementation.
“As we grapple with the impacts of climate change, turning national policy into action through the country’s NAP process is the next goal to achieve climate change adaptation at scale,” Nana Dr Amoah said.
He said nearly every country had initiated a National Adaptation Plan process to identify and address climate risks, but many developing countries continued to face difficulties in securing the resources needed to implement their adaptation priorities.
The three-day peer learning event, organised by the Government of Ghana and the NAP Global Network, is focusing on practical approaches to financing adaptation projects, strengthening institutions and ensuring that climate resilience measures reach vulnerable communities.
Dr Rens Twijnstra, First Secretary and Head of the Economic Affairs Department of the Netherlands, said stronger governance systems and partnerships were required to ensure that climate adaptation plans produced tangible results.
“Turning adaptation planning into reality takes an integrated approach rooted in strong governance, leadership, cross-sector collaboration, active engagement, clear tracking mechanisms and learning,” he said.
Dr Twijnstra said effective implementation required collaboration among governments, development partners, communities and other stakeholders to ensure that adaptation priorities translated into measurable outcomes.
Climate scientists have warned that delays in implementing adaptation measures could increase the vulnerability of millions of people, particularly in Africa, where temperatures are rising faster than the global average.
Dr Orville Grey, Head of the NAP Global Network Secretariat, said countries were demonstrating stronger commitment to adaptation planning but required greater support to translate those plans into results.
“Through this peer learning event, we aim to bolster good adaptation planning, helping countries decide, act and adjust in uncertain times,” he said.
Participants at the event are expected to identify practical strategies to help countries access climate finance more effectively and accelerate implementation of adaptation priorities.
The discussions are also expected to strengthen institutional capacity and promote knowledge sharing on approaches that could help vulnerable communities build resilience to the growing impacts of climate change.
