UNEP Pays Courtesy Call on GMet Ahead of CRLSLNG Project Inception
Representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Nairobi Office, Kenya, together with officials from the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) and the Water Resources Commission (WRC), paid a courtesy call on the Director-General of the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), Dr. Eric Asuman, ahead of the launch and inception meeting of the Climate Resilient Landscapes for Sustainable Livelihoods in Northern Ghana (CRLSLNG) Project.
The meeting, held on Monday, September 7th, 2026, at GMet's headquarters in Accra, formed part of efforts to strengthen coordination among the institutions responsible for implementing the project and to ensure a shared understanding of implementation priorities and arrangements. EPA and GMet serve as the executing entities for the project.
The delegation comprised Mr. Daniel Essey, Programmes Officer at UNEP; Mr. James Aggrey of the WRC; and Mr. Anthony Appianti of the EPA. The team was led by the Project Manager of the CRLSLNG Project, Mr. Isaac Acquah of EPA. During the meeting, the delegation engaged the Director-General of GMet, as well as Dr. Ignatius Kweku Williams, Deputy Director-General (Operations), and Ms. Maureen Abla Ahiataku, Principal Meteorologist and External Relations Officer, on the objectives of the project and GMet's critical role in its implementation.
The delegation also informed GMet management of their recent visit to the Ministry of Finance, where they discussed the project's status, as well as donor guidelines and requirements necessary for the smooth implementation of project activities.
The CRLSLNG Project is a Seven-year climate adaptation initiative funded by the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It aims to strengthen the resilience of vulnerable smallholder farming communities in northern Ghana by improving food security and supporting sustainable agricultural livelihoods. The project will promote climate-resilient agriculture, enhance climate information and early warning services, support landscape restoration, and facilitate other climate-resilient livelihood interventions.
Implementation will take place across selected districts in the Upper West, Upper East, and North East Regions, where communities face significant exposure to climate-related hazards, including droughts and floods. The project is expected to improve communities' ability to access, understand, and apply climate information in making informed livelihood and agricultural decisions.
A major component of the project focuses on strengthening climate information and early warning systems. Planned interventions include improving access to climate data, enhancing hydrometeorological and groundwater observation networks, strengthening technical capacity for drought and flood monitoring and forecasting services, and establishing effective mechanisms for communicating climate-related hazard information to vulnerable communities.
For GMet, the project presents an opportunity to further strengthen the forecasting systems, infrastructure, and technical expertise needed to generate and deliver reliable, timely, and actionable weather and climate information. It also places emphasis on improving the linkages between observations, data management, forecasting, and dissemination to ensure that climate information effectively supports decision-making at both national and community levels.
The courtesy call provided an opportunity for the visiting delegation and GMet management to discuss the practical arrangements required to move the project into its implementation phase. Discussions focused on ensuring that the necessary technical capacities, institutional responsibilities, and operational arrangements are clearly defined from the outset.
The engagement further underscored the importance of collaboration among the various institutions involved in the project. While GMet will play a leading role in Early Warning Systems, the broader initiative brings together partners with complementary mandates in agriculture, water resources management, environmental protection, and climate adaptation.
The courtesy call preceded the formal project launch and inception engagements, which are expected to provide a platform for stakeholders to align their responsibilities, implementation priorities, and timelines.
Receiving the delegation, Dr. Asuman welcomed the collaboration and emphasized the importance of ensuring that the project delivers tangible and lasting benefits to the communities it is intended to serve. He further noted that GMet's deliverables are critical to the successful implementation of several other project components, as climate information and early warning services underpin many of the planned interventions. He therefore stressed the need for the timely release of funds during the early stages of project implementation to enable GMet to execute its activities effectively and ensure that other project components achieve their objectives within the stipulated timelines.
The visit reflects the partners' commitment to establishing the institutional and technical foundations necessary for the successful implementation of the CRLSLNG Project.
As climate variability and extreme weather events continue to affect livelihoods and agricultural production across northern Ghana, strengthening access to reliable climate information and early warning services remains a critical component of the country's resilience-building efforts. The CRLSLNG Project is expected to contribute significantly to these efforts by linking improved climate information services with practical adaptation measures that support vulnerable communities and enhance sustainable livelihoods.
©️GMet Communications