Collaboration between Chiefs and Local Government Actors in Combating Climate Change: Evidence from New Juaben, Ghana

Abstract

Institutional barriers remain a constraint to efficient adaptation to climate change in many countries. There is therefore much to be desired regarding knowledge on the capacity and roles of local institutions in responding to climate change across sectors and locales. Drawing evidence from randomly selected chiefs and local government actors and purposively selected officials of the Municipal Assembly, we examined how partnership between local government actors and informal institutions such as chieftaincy could enhance coordinated and integrated climate action and adaptation planning in local communities. All interviews were transcribed and analysed in themes generated from deductive codes. Participants demonstrated varied levels of knowledge on the causes and impacts of climate change. We observed the implementation of several unstructured climate change activities in local communities as actors of the two institutions individually and collaboratively implemented some adaptation and mitigation actions. We therefore conclude that when given the right attention by addressing the problems which include financial allocation, low capacity of personnel, and the lack of coordination between units that confront the local institutions, informal institutions and local government actors could spearhead lasting climate change adaptation and mitigation programmes and produce equity and sustainability at the national level.