Women at the Forefront of Climate Action: Leading Community Solutions for Resilient Coastal Communities
Across Ghana’s coastal communities, women are increasingly taking the lead in developing and championing locally driven responses to the growing impacts of climate change.
Through the Improved Resilience of Coastal Communities (IRCC) Project, funded by the Adaptation Fund, consortium partners are supporting communities to strengthen their capacity to anticipate, respond to and adapt to climate-related risks while ensuring that women’s voices and leadership remain central to the process.
Climate change is placing increasing pressure on coastal communities, with women often experiencing disproportionate impacts due to their roles in livelihoods, household care and community wellbeing. Yet, women are not only among those affected by climate change—they are also leaders, knowledge holders and agents of change who are contributing practical solutions to build resilience.
The IRCC Project is therefore promoting locally led adaptation by creating opportunities for women to participate meaningfully in decision-making, contribute indigenous and community knowledge, and lead climate resilience initiatives within their communities.
From environmental restoration and ecosystem protection to sustainable livelihoods and community-based adaptation, women are helping to shape solutions that respond to the realities of their communities.
“Women are not passive recipients of climate interventions; they are powerful agents of change, innovators and leaders of community resilience. When women have the opportunity to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their communities, their knowledge, lived experiences and leadership can shape climate solutions that are more inclusive, sustainable and responsive to local realities. At ActionAid Ghana, we remain committed to advancing women’s leadership in climate action and ensuring that no woman is left behind in the pursuit of climate justice.” ~John Nkaw, Country Director.
For ActionAid and its consortium partners; UN-Habitat, Habitat for Humanity, University of Twente, placing women at the centre of climate action is critical to advancing gender equality, climate justice and sustainable development.
The IRCC Project is working with communities in Anloga and Ada to strengthen locally led adaptation and resilience. The approach recognises that communities are best placed to identify the climate risks affecting their lives and develop solutions that reflect their local realities.
By investing in women’s leadership and creating inclusive spaces for participation, the project is contributing to a more equitable approach to climate adaptation—one where communities are empowered to lead and women have a meaningful voice in shaping their future.
As climate impacts intensify, the experiences emerging from coastal communities reinforce an important message: effective climate action must be inclusive, locally owned and gender-responsive. Women are not waiting for solutions to arrive. They are helping to build them.
Through continued investment in women’s leadership, community knowledge and locally led adaptation, the IRCC Project is supporting coastal communities to move from vulnerability towards greater resilience—while advancing a vision of climate action that leaves no one behind.
About the IRCC Project
The Improved Resilience of Coastal Communities (IRCC) Project is funded by the Adaptation Fund and implemented through a consortium partnership involving ActionAid Ghana, UN-Habitat, Habitat for Humanity and the University of Twente. The project is supporting climate-vulnerable coastal communities to strengthen resilience through locally led and inclusive adaptation approaches.
Written by Jacqueline P. Parditey.