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)