National Policy Dialogue for Ghana

The National Policy Dialogue for Ghana was held on 22nd August 2022 in Accra, Ghana. Implementation of the SWITCH Africa Green Program started in March 2014 and Ghana has implemented a number of activities under the different components of the project. A National Implementation Plan was developed which identified areas such as policies, capacity building, regulatory frameworks, incentive structures, tax and market based instruments, awareness creation, etc. A synthesis of the plan which narrows down the priority areas where the SWITCH Africa Green programme can intervene in, has been developed.  Sessions on Policy support during this dialogue will provide an opportunity to jointly validate the solutions identified for a more supportive business environment.

UNEP through the SWITCH Africa Green programme, supported the Ministry of Tourism Art and Culture and the defunct Ministry of Planning (now through the Ministry of Finance) to:

1. Review and update the existing curriculum of the Hotel, Catering and Tourism Institute to include sustainability and
2. Develop a training manual and online toolkit to train regional and district planning officers on emerging concepts, techniques and tools for Sustainable Planning

These will enhance the ongoing efforts to promote green business and circular economy through SCP as a transition to Green Economy in Ghana.

The overall objective of the national validation meeting was to provide a platform for various stakeholders to review and validate the two documents to ensure they capture the relevant inputs for promoting sustainable development in the two sectors

1. Review and Validate the reviewed and updated curriculum of the Hotel Institute and Training manuals and online tool kit for planning officers at national and sub-national levels
2. Sensitize stakeholders at the national and sub- national level on greening and sustainability indicators and guidance on how to green the priority sectors.
3. Discuss the opportunities, challenges, and barriers faced by the private sector in the transition to an inclusive, low carbon green economy and promotion of SCP practices and patterns in Ghana.
4. Mainstreaming of sustainability practices in the development planning agenda

Participants were drawn from the grantees and MSMEs of SWITCH Africa Green in Ghana and other stakeholders involved in SCP activities and included government representatives from the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), Ministry of Finance (MoF), Ministry of Energy (MoEn), Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI),  Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, National Development Planning Commission, MMDAs,  financial institutions, international development organizations, civil society and private sector,etc. In addition, the members of the National Technical Coordination Committee (NTCC) including the European Commission, participated in the dialogue. The dialogue targeted over 50 participants.

The National Validation Meeting was jointly organized by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Ghana National Cleaner Production Centre (GNCPC) and the United Nations Environment Programme with funding from the European Union.