A workshop to validate proposed interventions on ‘Building Community Resilience in the White Volta Basin’ has been held in Bolgatanga, in the Upper East Region.

The programme is part of efforts to develop innovative solutions targeted at enhancing Water, Security and Climate Resilience in the Tampiizua Community in the Bawku Municipality, Azum Sapelliga in the Bawku West District and the Adaboya Community in the Bongo District.

The workshop was organized by the Country Water Partnership (CWP –Ghana), in collaboration with the Upper East Regional Water Resources Commission. It attracted the District Chief Executives of the Bongo, Bawku, and Binduri districts, their coordinating directors, planners, and stakeholders from the private sector.

Mr Maxwell Boateng Gyimah, the Project Manager of Water, Climate Development Programme (WACDEP), said the stakeholders were expected to look at the proposed interventions, and bring on board ideas to be included in the new project and also to ensure they aligned with National Policy before implementation.

“We want to reorient the minds of stakeholders and emphasize on behaviour change of community members and be able to transfer ideas learnt from the project,” he stated.

Mr Gyimah said the survey carried out also sought to identify the value chain of interventions to be implemented and the appropriate mechanisms for harnessing benefits.

Dr Jacques Somba, an Environmental Economist, and the consultant to the Project, who presented the findings of the study, said the socio-economic and environmental analysis carried out in the proposed beneficiary communities confirmed the existence of Climate Change and the hazards impacted on the livelihoods of the people, especially in crop production and related water problems.

He said the project was developed to address community vulnerability to Climate Change and designed to contribute to the Medium Term Agricultural Sector Investment Plan (METASIP) and the Water, Climate Development Programme (WACDEP) outcomes.

Mr Alexis Ayamdor, DCE for Bongo, who spoke on behalf of the DCEs, said the project was innovative and timely in view of the situation of the Region and the impact of Climate Change.

He noted that though there were institutional arrangements towards implementing and facilitating the projects, beneficiary districts had a responsibility to raise funds to kick start activities even before the full fund for the projects arrive.

He expressed hoped to that the project would be improved and replicated for other communities, and called for proper coordination to ensure success of the interventions.