Climate change law in Ghana: analysis of national legal frameworks for climate action and development
This legal analysis provides an assessment of Ghana’s key legal and regulatory frameworks for the priorities highlighted in Ghana’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and Ghana’s climate agenda more generally. The assessment includes an analysis of gaps or inconsistencies between the Government’s stated climate plans and commitments and existing national policy and legislation, with a view to evaluating the ability of existing legal frameworks to support Ghana’s delivery of its climate commitments and policy goals. The analysis focuses on four key sectors: water; agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU); energy; and transport. In addition, the legal analysis research team identified broader elements of the legal enabling environment in Ghana that are essential to the effective implementation of Ghana’s NDC and the achievement of Ghana’s climate policy goals; these elements include the country’s constitution, law-making and rulemaking processes, administrative and judicial enforcement mechanisms, environmental and social impact assessment laws and regulations, and the legal frameworks to mobilize public and private finance. The analysis proposes general and sector-specific recommendations to better align existing national policy and legislation with the Government’s national and international climate change commitments. The purpose, scope, and analytical framework for this legal analysis are presented in Chapter 1 and Annex I.
