ActionAid Ghana Leads Powerful Photo Exhibition in Kpene to Spotlight Climate Change and Water Crisis

As part of efforts to strengthen community resilience and drive grassroots climate justice, ActionAid Ghana, through its Northern Regional Programme Office, has led a powerful photo exhibition campaign in Kpene, Sagnarigu Municipality, to raise awareness on the effects of climate change and water scarcity.

Organised in collaboration with Foto4Change, and supported by Activista Ghana and the Young Urban Women Movement, the exhibition formed part of ActionAid Ghana’s World Water Day 2025 commemoration, themed around promoting sustainable water use and protecting vulnerable communities from the growing climate crisis.

The striking visual showcase captured the lived experiences of community members: women walking long distances to fetch water, children missing school due to water unavailability, and farmers struggling with drought-related crop failures. These images painted a vivid and urgent picture of the climate crisis unfolding in Northern Ghana — sparking dialogue, empathy, and calls for action.

Ghana’s Climate Reality: A Crisis in Motion

Ghana’s northern belt continues to experience increasingly erratic rainfall patterns, rising temperatures, and prolonged dry seasons. According to UNICEF (2023), 1 in 5 schools nationwide lack access to safe drinking water, and 30% are without functional toilets. These structural gaps, compounded by climate shocks, threaten health, education, and livelihoods — especially for women, children, and rural farmers.

ActionAid’s Commitment to Climate Justice

Mr. Hamza Sulemana, Treasurer of Activista Ghana, a youth network under ActionAid Ghana, explained that the exhibition is part of ActionAid’s broader climate justice agenda, using storytelling as a tool to empower communities and shift policy conversations.

“Through this initiative, ActionAid Ghana is bridging the gap between lived realities and climate action by putting real faces to the climate crisis,” he said. “Photography goes beyond awareness — it mobilises action.”

Mr. Geoffrey Buta, Team Lead of Foto4Change, commended ActionAid Ghana for prioritising creative, inclusive advocacy approaches. He added that building climate resilience must start with empowering those most affected to act and demand accountability.

“Planting trees, conserving water, and protecting the environment should become part of everyday life in communities like Kpene,” he said.

Traditional Authority Joins the Call

The Chief of Sagnarigu Kpene, Naa Mohammed Alhassan Seidu, lauded ActionAid Ghana for initiating the campaign and highlighted the increasing disruptions in agriculture and socioeconomic activities due to climate variability.

“This effort by ActionAid is timely and commendable. We need more platforms like this that combine culture, community, and communication to drive action,” he said.

Towards SDG 6 and Climate Resilience

The campaign reaffirms ActionAid Ghana’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 6 — ensuring access to clean water and sanitation for all by 2030 — and highlights the organisation’s broader mission of achieving climate justice through community empowerment, youth engagement, and women-led advocacy.

As climate impacts intensify, ActionAid Ghana continues to lead with action, mobilising stakeholders, amplifying local voices, and building sustainable, gender-just responses to protect the most vulnerable across the country. “This exhibition is not just about photos — it is about power, justice, and visibility, through this campaign, ActionAid Ghana is bringing the realities of climate change to the doorstep of decision-makers and empowering communities like Kpene to speak for themselves. We believe that when communities see their stories reflected and their voices amplified, real change becomes possible.” ~ Esther Boateng, Regional Programme Manager , Northern Region. 

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