Driving Climate Resilience in Sekondi-Takoradi: A New Urban Blueprint Emerges from Ghana’s Western Coast
Introduction
As the climate crisis intensifies across the globe, one Ghanaian city is quietly charting a bold and pragmatic path toward resilience. Sekondi-Takoradi, perched along the Gulf of Guinea in Ghana’s Western Region, has unveiled a plan that could serve as a touchstone for cities across Africa grappling with the dual pressures of rapid urbanisation and environmental instability.
At the heart of this transformation is the Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plan (SEACAP) of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), developed with the technical assistance of PSS Urbania. The plan was made possible through funding from the Covenant of Mayors for Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA), with GIZ serving as the implementing partner. Anchored by strong local leadership, the SEACAP stands out as a document of both bold ambition and grounded practicality.
A Vision Rooted in Urgency and Equity
The foreword by the Mayor offers a sobering reflection: Sekondi-Takoradi is already feeling the sting of climate change. Rising temperatures, increasingly erratic rainfall, and surging floodwaters are no longer distant threats; they are lived realities. And as is often the case, it is the city’s most vulnerable, particularly the youth, who face the brunt.
But the SEACAP is more than a reaction to crisis; it’s a vision. By 2050, the city aims to become a resilient, low-carbon metropolis with equitable access to clean energy. That vision aligns with Ghana’s national climate commitments, including its pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 24.6 million unconditionally and conditionally by 64 million tons of CO₂ equivalent by 2030 under the Paris Agreement.
It’s an ambitious goal, but one grounded in data, consultation, and collective resolve.
Planning by the People, for the People and with the People
What sets this plan apart is the process behind it. Developed through over 700 interviews with households and 60 institutions and rounds of public engagements in reviews and validation, the SEACAP reflects a high degree of community involvement. This is not top-down policy-making; it’s a stitched-together tapestry of lived experiences and shared aspirations.
The plan’s framework rests on three interlinked pillars: mitigation, adaptation, and energy access. Each one is anchored in the realities of Sekondi-Takoradi’s challenges, from traffic-choked roads and fragile drainage systems to overreliance on biomass fuels like charcoal.
Tackling Emissions Head-On
In 2021, Sekondi-Takoradi’s greenhouse gas emissions reached an estimated 298,000 tons of CO₂ equivalent, which visually compares to about 47,000 African elephants lined up. To offset the emissions, about 13.5 million trees will be needed. The emissions were mainly from energy use in buildings, poor waste management, and transportation. Without decisive action, emissions could triple by 2050.
The SEACAP proposes a suite of interventions: afforestation, encouraging electric vehicles, investing in dedicated lanes for a Bus Rapid Transit system, and significantly improving waste systems by diverting organic refuse to composting and biogas facilities. It also calls for an expansion of solar energy, especially in public buildings, through initiatives supported by CoM SSA’s Urban Smart Energy Project.
These actions aren’t just about cutting emissions; they aim to create new jobs, reduce pollution, and support local innovation.
Adapting to the Climate We Already Have
Climate adaptation isn’t a distant need for Sekondi-Takoradi; rather, it’s a daily imperative. Since 1960, temperatures in the city have risen by 5%, and rainfall has surged 60%, contributing to more frequent and severe floods.
To counter this, the SEACAP calls for substantial investments in climate proofing, starting with the update of the drainage master plan. In doing so, nature-based solutions take centre stage through the restoration of mangroves and wetlands to absorb floodwaters and reduce coastal erosion. The plan goes further to weave climate resilience into public health, proposing that 75% of health workers be trained to recognise and treat diseases exacerbated by a changing climate.
Clean Energy Access for All
While 96% of households have electricity access, affordability remains elusive. Many low-income residents spend upwards of 15% of their income on energy, while two-thirds still rely on charcoal, a major driver of deforestation and respiratory illness.
The SEACAP envisions a city powered more equitably. It aims to increase the share of solar energy in public buildings to 25% and reduce charcoal dependence to 10% by 2050. This shift will require more than infrastructure. It demands behaviour change, targeted subsidies, innovation, clean energy uptake, more research on improved stoves and sustained public-private collaboration.
Why This Plan Matters
The SEACAP isn’t just a local roadmap. It’s a case study in how African cities can lead the climate conversation on their own terms. By aligning with Ghana’s national goals and international frameworks, Sekondi-Takoradi is positioning itself to attract climate finance and technical partnerships.
But what stands out most is the plan’s emphasis on equity. Gender dynamics are considered in energy use. Youth perspectives shape the priorities. And those often left behind, which are informal workers, low-income households, and coastal communities, are given a seat at the table.
At PSS Urbania, we believe this model has far-reaching implications. It balances ambition with realism and equity with efficiency. The mangrove restoration initiative, for instance, not only shields the city from rising tides but also supports local fisheries, creating a win for the environment and the economy.
A Collaborative Blueprint
None of this would be possible without collaboration. The convergence of trans-scalar capacities comprising international partners, national-level sector agencies, sub-national government and community-level interests, combined with functional spheres of public, private and not-for-profit entities, generates the critical coalition of expertise, funding and the requisite gravitas necessary for the design and subsequent implementation of the plan. Nonetheless, it goes without saying that without local leadership and grassroots involvement, the goals of the plan would not come to life. STMA’s approach reflects a growing consensus: sustainable urban transformation cannot be imposed; it must be co-created.
This is also a core principle of our work at PSS Urbania. We help cities develop climate strategies not in isolation, but in conversation with communities, businesses, and governments working together.
The Road Ahead
The STMA SEACAP marks a beginning, not an end. Understandably, implementation will be complex, with political, financial, and logistical hurdles, but Sekondi-Takoradi has done something rare: it has turned climate vulnerability into a launchpad for innovation in leadership and governance.
For cities in Ghana and across Africa, particularly, and generally in the global south, the message is clear: bold local leadership, grounded in inclusive planning and backed by smart partnerships, can drive the transformation we need. The time to act is now.
Kwame Boye Frimpong
Head, Metropolitan Governance and Local Economic Development
(Team Lead for the development of the SEACAP)
