World Bank Group urges Ghana to turn climate challenge into growth opportunity

World Bank

ACCRA, Nov. 2 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank Group has urged Ghana to turn its climate challenge into an opportunity for resilient and sustainable growth.

The World Bank made this call Tuesday in its new Country Climate and Development Report for Ghana, warning the income could reduce by up to 40 percent for poor households by 2050 and at least one million more people could fall into poverty if urgent climate actions are not taken in the West African country.

"This calls for pursuing a development pathway that builds resilience to climate change and fosters a transition to low-carbon growth through a combination of policies and public and private investments," said the report.

The World Bank document urged better national financial preparedness against climate shocks and adaptive health and social protection systems, better national financial preparedness against climate shocks, and adaptive health and social protection systems.

Above all, the report underscored the importance of promoting a transition to clean energy by scaling up renewable energy sources, strengthening regional energy markets, and modernizing transport systems by improving public transportation and updating vehicle standards.

"The report demonstrates that Ghana can simultaneously pursue its long-term development and climate goals, and the country can take a more resilient development pathway," said Pierre Laporte, World Bank Country Director for Ghana, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, in a release accompanying the report.