Climate security takes centre stage as Ghana’s climate minister meets IGP

Seidu Issifu (L) exchanging pleasantries with the IGP Christian Tetteh Yohuno (R)

Ghana is taking decisive steps to integrate climate action into its national security architecture following a high-level engagement between the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability, Seidu Issifu and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Christian Tetteh Yohuno.

The working visit and courtesy call mark a major milestone in an emerging partnership between the Office of the Minister and the Ghana Police Service, building on two earlier successful engagements with the Director of Sports of the Police Service, ASP Bernice Timbilla.

Those engagements laid the groundwork for a pioneering Sports–Climate Action and Climate Security Initiative.

From Sports Diplomacy to Institutional Reform

What began as discussions around leveraging police sports platforms for climate awareness has now expanded into a broader strategic conversation on climate security, law-enforcement preparedness and institutional reform.

At the centre of the meeting, Issifu congratulated the IGP on his appointment and underscored the urgency of engaging the Ghana Police Service in national climate-action efforts and not only through advocacy but through proactive policing strategies aimed at preventing climate-related crimes and responding to climate-driven security risks.

The minister highlighted the need to establish a dedicated Climate Change Unit within the Ghana Police Service, noting that climate impacts from floods and heatwaves to environmental degradation and resource-based tensions are already reshaping policing realities across the country.

He also called for a systematic effort to decarbonise police operations, including logistics, facilities, and mobility systems, while encouraging the Service to seek technical support and strategic partnerships to accelerate sustainability reforms.

IGP Flags Emerging Climate Threats

In response, IGP Yohuno welcomed the collaboration and spoke candidly about the growing operational challenges facing the Police Service as climate impacts intensify.

He highlighted emerging risks associated with what he described as “climate extremism,” as well as the reluctance of some officers to accept postings to areas severely affected by climate stress—underscoring how environmental conditions increasingly influence security deployment, officer welfare, and morale.

To ensure that plans translate into action, the IGP announced the formation of a technical committee within the Ghana Police Service to work alongside a counterpart committee from the Office of the Minister of State for Climate Change and Sustainability.

The committees will be tasked with developing concrete implementation frameworks and timelines for collaboration.

In recognition of the Minister’s leadership at home and abroad in advancing climate action, the IGP presented a Police Medal of Honour to Issifu for his outstanding contribution to climate leadership and sustainability.

The meeting was attended by senior officers from both institutions, reflecting the strategic importance attached to the climate-security agenda. High-ranking officials from the Ghana Police Service joined counterparts from the Office of the Minister to deliberate on next steps toward operationalising joint initiatives.

Climate Change as a National Security Issue

Both sides reaffirmed that climate change is no longer solely an environmental concern; it is a core national-security challenge affecting infrastructure, personnel welfare, community relations, and public safety.

The discussions follow two earlier high-level meetings between Issifu and ASP Bernice Timbilla, Director of Sports of the Ghana Police Service, during which both institutions committed to a people-centred approach to climate security leveraging the Police Service’s sporting platforms to promote environmental awareness, youth engagement and resilience-building.

Those engagements produced the blueprint for the Sports–Climate Action and Climate Security Initiative, which will embed climate education in police sports programmes, green police facilities, train Climate Sports Ambassadors and establish pathways toward a specialised Climate Police Unit.

A New Chapter for Climate-Informed Policing in Ghana

The expanded dialogue with the IGP signals Ghana’s intent to move beyond pilot programmes toward structural reform, mainstreaming climate security across policing frameworks and institutional planning.

With technical committees now established and formal agreements under development, Ghana is positioning itself as a continental leader in integrating climate resilience into security institutions.

As climate pressures intensify across West Africa, the collaboration between the Office of the Minister and the Ghana Police Service sends a clear message: climate resilience is national security—and Ghana is acting now.