GCRF_NF335 COVID19: Greening the Social and Economic Recovery in Ghana and Zambia

This project will support a clean and resilient recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic in Ghana and Zambia. It will work with research partners, governments and other organisations in those countries to develop strategies that integrate economic recovery and climate change policies. Ghana and Zambia have been chosen because there is an opportunity to build on existing collaborations; there is a clear demand from policy makers for this research; and they have important differences that will enable lessons to be learned in other countries. The project has five main objectives. It will: 1. Understand the drivers, challenges and opportunities for a clean, resilient recovery in Ghana and Zambia 2. Investigate options for a clean, resilient recovery through the co-creation of participatory pathways for future development 3. Quantify the socio-economic, energy and climate implications of a clean, resilient recovery 4. Support government decision-making on recovery, climate action and development planning, including through information-sharing and the adaption of clean, resilient recovery initiatives from other contexts 5. Strengthen capacity, share knowledge and create equitable and enduring partnerships The project will focus in particular on the development and implementation of revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Revised NDCs need to be submitted to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change before COP26, which will be held in Glasgow in late 2021. This integration is critical not only for social and economic recovery in the short-term, but also for avoiding lock-in to carbon intensive development pathways that could undermine long-term resilience.