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New Research Advances Understanding of Climate Mobility Governance in Africa
Our latest peer-reviewed article is finally out in Frontiers in Climate!
Bridging International and Regional Climate Mobility Frameworks with Local Realities: An Investigation of Ghana’s Governance of Mobility as Adaptation
More than a scientific publication, this article represents the culmination of a multi-year journey of research, collaboration and policy engagement aimed at strengthening the evidence base on climate mobility in Africa.
The foundations of this work were laid during my time as Senior Programme Manager at Deltares, where as part of my duties, I led the climate mobility research agenda in relation to the Africa Climate Mobility Initiative (ACMI) and coordinated the Coastal and Delta workstream. ACMI brought together governments, regional organizations, United Nations agencies, development partners and research institutions to better understand the implications of climate mobility and support climate-resilient development pathways across Africa.
Using Ghana as a case study, the article explores how international and regional commitments on climate mobility are translated into national and local governance processes. The findings highlight persistent barriers, including fragmented institutional mandates, competing policy priorities and limited anticipatory planning. At the same time, they identify opportunities to strengthen mobility as an adaptation strategy through more integrated, participatory and locally grounded approaches.
Most climate adaptation policies are designed to prevent people from moving. They don’t work. When you restrict mobility, you don’t stop it. You make it informal and possibly more precarious. What if we started asking different questions? Instead of asking how do we stop people from moving, we should ask how do we make moving and staying safer, more dignified, more resilient? This leads us to moving beyond merely signing more international frameworks to tackling local contestations, sedentary bias, weak land tenure regimes and systemic barriers that strip away agency and quietly shut down adaptation pathways.
At a time when climate mobility is increasingly recognized as a critical dimension of adaptation, studies such as this are essential. They help move the conversation beyond projections and global narratives by generating evidence on the realities, barriers and opportunities experienced by communities and institutions on the ground.
Building this knowledge base is fundamental for informing policies and investments that enable people to adapt safely and with dignity, whether by moving, staying, or pursuing other adaptive strategies.
At CARRERA Global Solutions we support positive, people-centred adaptation pathways that enhance resilience in the face of climate change.
The publication contributes to the growing body of evidence on climate mobility and underscores the importance of connecting policy frameworks with local realities. Strengthening this understanding is essential for developing effective responses that support vulnerable communities and transform climate mobility into an opportunity for adaptation, resilience and sustainable development.
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