LocationsUNDP Hands Over National Disaster Management and Risk Finance Strategy Framework to Strengthen Ghana’s Climate Resilience
January 26, 2026
UNDP
Ghana has taken a significant step toward enhancing national preparedness for climate-related disasters with the formal handover of its National Disaster Management and Risk Finance Strategy Framework and Implementation Plan (2025–2030) to the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO). The framework, developed with technical support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is designed to help the country transition from reactive disaster response to a proactive, pre‑arranged disaster risk financing system, aligned with global best practices.
The handover ceremony in Accra brought together senior government officials, development partners, civil society organisation, academia, and media representatives.
Ghana faces escalating climate‑induced hazards with floods, droughts, and fires causing an estimated US$200 million in losses which is nearly two percent (2%) of GDP and affect more than two million people annually. These figures highlight the increasing human and economic toll of disasters in the country. Events such as the 2023 Akosombo Dam spillage, which displaced over 26,000 people, reinforce the urgency of strengthening disaster preparedness and financing systems.
Speaking at the handover event, Dr. Razak-Abdul Saeed, Head of Environment and Climate, UNDP Ghana, emphasized that the strategy represents a transformational shift in disasters governance, moving away from reactive emergency response toward pre‑arranged financial protection mechanisms.
“This strategy marks a critical move from reactive disaster response to proactive, pre-arranged financial protection mechanisms that save lives and public resources. By ensuring timely, predictable, and cost-effective access to financing, Ghana will be positioned to strengthen its resilience to climate and disaster shocks while protecting development gains,” he said. He emphasized that this approach protects development gains, reduces fiscal shocks, and supports long‑term resilience-building.
Dr. Razak-Abdul Saeed, Head of Environment and Climate, UNDP Ghana, delivering his remarks at the handing over ceremony
NADMO’s Director-General, Major (Rtd.) Dr. Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to leading the strategy’s implementation, noting that investing in preparedness and disaster risk reduction is significantly more effective than relying solely on post‑disaster recovery efforts.
“This strategy strengthens our national resilience and reflects Ghana’s transition from disaster response to disaster management. Investing in preparedness and risk financing is far more effective than relying on recovery after shocks occur. We appreciate UNDP’s technical and financial support and reaffirm NADMO’s commitment to working closely with UNDP to build a disaster-resilient Ghana,” he said
NADMO’s Director-General, Major (Rtd.) Dr. Joseph Bikanyi Kuyon, delivering his opening remarks
Developed by the Government of Ghana through NADMO, with technical support from UNDP’s Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (IRFF), the framework provides a comprehensive roadmap for managing disaster-related fiscal risks and ensures rapid access to funding for emergency response and recovery.
The framework is built around eight strategic pillars, including mapping and integrating disaster-related fiscal risks into national and subnational planning, establishing sovereign and sub-sovereign disaster risk financing instruments, developing private risk-transfer solutions for households, MSMEs, agriculture strengthening institutional capacity and governance for disaster risk management.
UNDP supported the development of the strategy through a multi-stakeholder process involving the Ministry of Finance, National Insurance Commission, Environmental Protection Agency, National Development Planning Commission, Ghana Meteorological Agency, the Ghana Hydrological Authority, academia, civil society organisations and other relevant partners. Consultations emphasized the needs of vulnerable groups, including informal workers, small traders, Zongo communities, and smallholder farmers, who are often hardest hit when disasters strike.
The framework is built on eight strategic pillars (as outlined in UNDP documents), including: Mapping and integrating disaster-related fiscal risks into national planning; Establishing sovereign and sub-sovereign disaster risk financing instruments; Expanding private risk-transfer tools for households, MSMEs, and the agriculture sector and strengthening institutional capacity, governance, early warning, and data systems.
Under the implementation plan, priority actions will focus on strengthening institutional capacity, improving coordination across sectors, and scaling innovative tools such as parametric insurance and risk-layering mechanisms to enhance financial preparedness.
The framework will help shape Ghana’s disaster risk management architecture, with NADMO leading the national implementation and UNDP remaining a committed partner in supporting a more resilient, inclusive, and disaster-ready Ghana.
As countries worldwide grapple with increasingly severe climate-related disasters, Ghana’s approach—anchored in risk financing, multi‑stakeholder collaboration, and proactive preparedness—may serve as an emerging model for other nations seeking to close the protection gap and build fiscal resilience in the face of climate change.
This impact is powered by partnership.
Flood resilience efforts under UNDP Ghana’s Insurance and Risk Finance Facility (IRFF) are made possible through the leadership and support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), channeled via the Insu Resilience Solutions Fund (ISF). We also acknowledge the critical contributions of the Insurance Development Forum (IDF) and its member companies, including Allianz and Swiss Re, whose expertise strengthens climate risk financing and resilience in Ghana.
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