Collaboration between meso-level institutions and communities to facilitate climate change adaptation in Ghana

Abstract

There is a growing recognition of the role of meso-level institutions that operate between the central state and communities in facilitating climate change adaptation at local and district levels. This article explores how collaborative approaches to planned adaptation by an external agent in Ghana can create linkages between meso-level institutions and communities, and examines how the actors involved have received the approach. The study is based on fieldwork in the Northern and Upper East regions of Ghana. The programme examined has been designed to reflect the need of each community instead of general adaptation strategies. Findings from the study suggest that the communities involved have achieved positive outcomes from the approach. Capacity building and advocacy training have made the involved communities more proactive, which has increased the collaboration between the communities and local governance. Climate change adaptation has now become one of the key priorities on the political agenda of the local district assemblies. However, lack of funding hinders the achievements to be expanded to the rest of the district. More funding, therefore, needs to be directed at meso-level institutions to increase adaptation.