Greening the Recovery in Ghana and Zambia

About

A research team from the UK, Ghana and Zambia worked with governments and other stakeholders to develop detailed plans to achieve this.

The project was funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund and the Newton Fund via the UKRI Collective Fund.

Aim

Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges. This project focuses on the opportunities for integrating economic recovery and climate change policies in Ghana and Zambia. A research team from the UK, Ghana and Zambia worked with governments and other stakeholders to develop detailed plans to achieve this. The aim of this project was to:

understand drivers, challenges and opportunities for integration;
investigate options for change;
support the development and implementation of policies; and
build capacity through training programmes.

Outputs

The project used participatory scenario development methodology that combined stakeholder engagement, qualitative storylines, modelling and policy analysis. It had four main components:

mapping the policy and societal landscape, understanding how this has changed due to Covid-19, and examining climate and development plans that are already being developed.
developing participatory scenarios that explore plausible pathways for a clean, resilient recovery.
quantifying these pathways using open-source models of energy systems and land use.
developing policy responses and supporting their implementation. This included: policy recommendations to support energy access and job creation; addressing the financial impacts of Covid-19 on energy companies and consumers; and supporting investment in energy efficiency, low carbon energy generation and nature based solutions.

The project included continuous engagement with policy and other stakeholders to maximise tangible impacts on decision-making – including on revisions to national climate change plans. Longer-term impacts were be enhanced through capacity building activities including one-week training courses in Ghana and Zambia, and an online short course.