GMet collaborates Ghana Red Cross on Climate Atlas to strengthen disaster preparedness

By:  Nana Appiah Acquaye

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), in collaboration with the Danish Meteorological Institute (DMI) and the Embassy of Denmark in Ghana, has held a stakeholder engagement with the Ghana Red Cross Society as part of preparations toward the rollout of the Ghana Climate Atlas.

The working session brought together members of the Climate Atlas technical and communications teams and the leadership of the Ghana Red Cross Society, led by its Secretary General, Eric Gregory Kwatia. Senior programme, disaster management, health and climate focal persons from the Red Cross also participated in the discussions.

Speaking during the engagement, the Principal Meteorologist and External Relations Officer at GMet, Maureen Abla Ahiataku, who also serves as the Climate Atlas Project Lead, underscored the distinctiveness of the Ghana Climate Atlas. She explained that unlike many global climate tools, the Atlas is grounded in Ghana’s own observed climate data, which is integrated with global climate models to produce more accurate, localized projections.

According to her, this approach enables the downscaling of climate projections and correction of model biases, ensuring that the information reflects Ghana’s diverse microclimates and real community-level impacts rather than broad regional trends. She noted that the Atlas is designed to bridge the gap between scientific climate projections and practical decision-making for disaster preparedness, humanitarian response, policy formulation and community interventions.

The presentation demonstrated how the Atlas offers insights across multiple emissions scenarios and time horizons, helping institutions anticipate risks such as flooding, extreme heat and rainfall variability. Participants were informed that the tool is intended to support proactive planning and anticipatory action, rather than reactive responses after climate-related disasters occur.

Welcoming the GMet delegation, Mr. Kwatia described the engagement as timely, stressing that climate change continues to amplify humanitarian risks across Ghana. He emphasized that effective disaster risk reduction depends on access to reliable, timely and clearly communicated climate information, adding that the Red Cross’s nationwide volunteer network plays a critical role in translating technical data into practical action at the community level.

Discussions during the session explored how the Ghana Climate Atlas could support areas such as anticipatory action, food security planning, public health interventions and the management of climate-induced migration risks. Participants highlighted the need to align climate data with humanitarian decision-making frameworks and to communicate information in formats that are easily understood and actionable for communities.

The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen collaboration through formal partnerships, data-sharing arrangements and continued engagement as the development of the Atlas progresses.

The Ghana Climate Atlas is being developed under the Ghana–Denmark Strategic Sector Cooperation Programme as an interactive, online climate information platform. By combining historical climate observations, future projections and spatial analysis tools tailored to Ghana’s context, the Atlas is expected to support decision-making across sectors including disaster risk reduction, agriculture, water resources, energy, health and infrastructure.

GMet and its partners are currently validating the Atlas with key stakeholders to ensure it is practical, relevant and responsive to the needs of institutions working directly with communities ahead of its official launch.