NDF approves EUR 11 million to locally led climate action in Ghana
Manyateng Suotaanykado Women Farmers in the Upper West Region of Ghana. The SOCO Project Ghana.
NDF's financing to the Social cohesion and climate adaptation in Northern Ghana (SOCO Ghana)-project will support the expansion of climate-resilient and community-driven investments in the region.
Ghana is highly vulnerable to climate change, combined with broader security dynamics that further compound existing vulnerabilities. This reinforces the importance of strengthening resilience and supporting the communities most affected by these intersecting challenges. NDF’s financing will support ongoing efforts by the Government of Ghana and the World Bank to strengthen social cohesion and climate resilience in Northern Ghana by reaching local communities and enhancing adaptation initiatives.
Building on established project structures and a community-driven approach, NDF’s support will scale the Locally Led Climate Action (LLCA) model across 48 districts, embedding climate risk assessments into local planning systems, and expand climate-resilient, community-led investments in socio-economic infrastructure, delivering around 100 new sub-projects.
Wungu Farmers Association, a common interest group working on maize and beans farming. Photo: The SOCO Project Ghana.
Reflecting Nordic values for climate resilience
Aligned with NDF’s Strategy 2030, this project reflects Nordic values by promoting inclusive, community-led development, with a strong emphasis on gender equality, social inclusion, and poverty reduction.
By providing support to local communities to shape and implement climate adaptation solutions, the project contributes to building social cohesion in Northern Ghana while addressing the growing risk of fragility and instability in the region. NDF’s co-financing specifically targets the intersection of social and climate vulnerabilities, raising awareness of climate risks, and enabling communities to develop their own knowledge and solutions. The project also demonstrates how targeted climate and development finance can play a critical role in conflict prevention, supporting long-term stability and sustainable development.
Through this partnership with the Government of Ghana and the World Bank, NDF will further strengthen development cooperation with Ghana while contributing to enhanced climate resilience and community-led solutions on the ground.
Nordic countries play a key role in advancing locally led adaptation, championing inclusive, community-driven approaches grounded in social inclusion and sustainability. Through this cooperation, NDF will also help share practical lessons from Ghana across the region and with the wider global climate adaptation community, supporting Nordic values and priorities of increasing finance for climate adaptation and scale locally led approaches.