Her Excellency Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, Vice President of the Republic of Ghana, has underscored the urgent need for fairness, equity, and accountability in the global response to the climate crisis. She made the call during a bilateral meeting in Addis Ababa with H.E. Mr. Selwin Hart, Special Advisor to the United Nations Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition.
At the outset of the meeting, Mr. Hart extended his condolences following the recent tragic helicopter crash in Ghana, which the Vice President graciously accepted. The discussion then turned to the critical importance of 2025 in advancing decisive global climate action.
“Climate change recognizes no national borders,” the Vice President noted. “Since many of its causes are man-made, we must commit to finding sustainable and fair solutions together.”
She stressed the deep injustice of climate impacts, pointing out that poorer countries, those least responsible for global emissions, continue to suffer the harshest consequences. Rising sea levels, she emphasized, are already destabilizing coastal communities and small islands, creating urgent challenges such as migration and food insecurity.
The Vice President urged the United Nations to ensure that the voices of vulnerable nations are amplified on the global stage, adding that only through a multidimensional and Pan-African approach can countries effectively share strategies, integrate adaptation measures, and scale up solutions collectively.
Highlighting Ghana’s leadership in climate innovation, she cited initiatives such as the deployment of floating solar panels at the Bui Dam to diversify energy sources, and the work of the University of Energy and Natural Resources in equipping citizens to sustain climate-related policies.
However, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang cautioned that climate solutions must go hand in hand with reforms to the global financial system. She emphasized that unsustainable debt servicing continues to divert vital resources from education, healthcare, and climate adaptation efforts. “We need a holistic approach to climate, debt, and development challenges,” she said. “Fairness, equity, and accountability must guide global action if we are to achieve just and lasting solutions.”
Her remarks in Addis Ababa reaffirm Ghana’s commitment to shaping a collective global response to the climate emergency, one rooted in justice and shared responsibility.
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