Speaking at the launch of the National Climate and Environmental Communication Initiative (NCECI) in Accra on Tuesday, Prof. Klutse said Ghana had made significant progress in implementing its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and advancing a just transition agenda, which deserved to be effectively communicated on the global stage.

“As the global community prepares for COP30 in Brazil later this year, communication on climate action is shifting towards implementation and transparency,” she said.

“For Ghana, this means strengthening not only our policies and commitments, but also the way we communicate them. Effective climate communication is essential for demonstrating our progress on the NDCs, the just transition, and the action for climate empowerment,” she added.

Prof. Klutse noted that while Ghana continued to experience the effects of climate change, including rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and coastal erosion, public understanding of the crisis remained limited.

“Too often, climate information stays confined to technical reports and policy circles,” she said, adding: “But the farmers, the fishermen, the youth, and the business leaders whose choices shape our future need to hear and understand this message.”

Prof. Klutse said the NCECI, launched in partnership with Knutsford University, was designed to build a national community of skilled communicators, journalists, corporate actors and educators capable of delivering clear and relatable environmental messages.

The initiative, she added, would also strengthen the capacity of media professionals to report accurately and creatively on climate and environmental issues.

“This initiative positions Ghana to tell its own story; one of resilience, innovation, and leadership, in a language our people understand…A well-informed nation is a stronger negotiating nation,” she said.

Prof. Akua Opokua Britwum, Chairperson of the National Media Commission, welcomed the initiative and encouraged journalists to take advantage of the opportunity to specialise in environmental reporting.

She said effective communication on climate and environmental issues was vital to fostering behavioural change and driving community-level action.

The NCECI programme is designed to also support corporate sustainability communication and environmental, social and governance (ESG) reporting.

It is also to engage youth through the Action for Climate Empowerment framework, and promote collaboration among government, academia, and the private sector.

COP30, to be held in Belém, Brazil, in November 2025, will mark 10 years since the signing of the Paris Agreement.

The conference is expected to focus on reviewing countries’ progress toward limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C and accelerating implementation of climate commitments.