U.S Government Holds Climate Finance Conference to Unlock Investment for Climate Action

Accra, GHANA – The United States Government, through its USAID-supported Feed the Future activities—Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture (MFA), Policy Link, Africa Trade and Investment (ATI) and Market Systems Resilience (MSR)—held its first-ever Climate Finance Conference in Ghana. USAID Ghana Mission Director Kimberly Rosen and the Coordinating Director of the Ministry of Finance Stella Williams opened the three-day conference.

The conference, themed, “Climate Financing in Ghana: Mobilizing Resources for Adaptation and Mitigation”, is aimed at empowering the government, private sector, and development partners to access investment for climate resilient practices. It brought together U.S. and Ghana government representatives, non-governmental organizations, agribusinesses, transaction advisors, investors, financial institutions, trade associations, research institutions, civil society groups and the media.

During her remarks, USAID Mission Director Kimberly Rosen said, “Ghana's economy relies heavily on agriculture, but it's vulnerable to climate change. Building resilience is crucial for food security, poverty reduction, and economic growth, especially for the country's growing population. To improve Ghana's agriculture and food systems, we need new funding models and partnerships to attract investments in climate-friendly solutions.” She added, “Through initiatives like the Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture activity and the Africa Trade and Investment activity, USAID is already working to address credit constraints and climate change effects in Ghana’s agriculture sector."

Climate change presents major risks to Ghana's agricultural sector through rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, and extreme weather conditions. This phenomenon threatens the food security of Ghana's growing population which relies on agriculture production. Agriculture remains vital to the economy of Ghana contributing over 20% to Gross Domestic Product and employing about 33% of the workforce, according to the Ghana Statistical Service.

“We appreciate the continuous support from the U.S. Government and the USAID,” said Stella Williams, Coordinating Director of the Ministry of Finance, who represented the Minister of Finance at the conference. “There is a huge opportunity for increasing market-based interventions and international investments. Our climate finance needs are vast and mobilizing additional resources is imperative to achieve both our climate goals and broader development objectives.”

The three-day conference will feature a plenary on the climate financing landscape, a Master Class session, panel discussions on climate smart financing opportunities and design of interventions by government and development partners. Business-to-Business meetings will also be held to connect businesses, transaction advisors, financing institutions, investors, and development partners seeking to access finance to implement interventions to mitigate climate change impacts and build economic resilience. It will close with an Action Plan for climate-smart interventions in Ghana to be implemented in collaboration with government, the private sector and development partners.

Dr. Victor Antwi, Chief of Party, Feed the Future Ghana MFA Activity, said “MFA is available to provide technical assistance to entities seeking finance for climate action to prepare and present viable projects to investors. The U.S government has through USAID and the MFA Activity facilitated access to $234.44 million to 50,137 agribusinesses and farmers, 61% of whom are women-owned enterprises in the maize, soy, groundnut, cowpea, cashew, mango, and shea value chains over the past three years.

About Feed the Future
Feed the Future is the U.S. Government’s initiative to end global hunger. Led by USAID and driven by collaborative partnerships across public and private sectors, including 11 U.S. Government agencies, Feed the Future addresses the root causes of poverty and hunger by promoting inclusive agriculture-led economic growth, resilience, and nutrition in countries with great need and opportunity for improvement.

About USAID
USAID is the lead U.S. government agency that works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential. USAID’s activities and strategic partnerships support Ghana’s journey to self-reliance and advance an integrated approach to development. USAID promotes accountability, sustainable systems, and inclusive development.

About Feed the Future Ghana MFA Activity
The Feed the Future Ghana Mobilizing Finance in Agriculture (MFA) Activity is a USAID-supported activity that will improve access to finance for farmers and agribusinesses in Ghana. The Activity enables transaction advisors to support agribusinesses to secure loans and investment. MFA also assists diverse financial institutions to expand financing of farmers and agribusinesses to purchase agricultural inputs, invest in processing, expand production, and scale operations.