GMet urges churches, mosques to support community preparedness for El Niño impacts

The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) is urging churches, mosques and other religious institutions to support community preparedness for the anticipated impacts of the intensifying El Niño phenomenon.

The Agency believes places of worship can serve as community early-warning and support centres by helping to communicate weather information, educate congregations and coordinate assistance for vulnerable people during climate-related emergencies.

Deputy Director of Research and Applied Meteorology at GMet, Francisca Martey, highlighted the importance of coordinated preparedness at a breakfast meeting organised by GreenFaith Ghana to launch a faith-led resilience initiative aimed at strengthening the capacity of religious leaders to respond to El Niño-related risks.

The initiative, titled “Strengthening the Capacities of Religious Leaders and Places of Worship to Anticipate, Prepare for, and Respond to the Risks Posed by the Current El Niño Event,” seeks to position faith institutions as partners in climate-risk communication and community resilience.

The meeting brought together religious leaders and organisations working in climate action, humanitarian response and community development to explore how places of worship could contribute to early warning and emergency support.

Ms Martey outlined the potential consequences of the El Niño phenomenon, warning that agriculture, water resources, electricity generation, public health and infrastructure could face significant pressure over the coming months.

She identified rain-fed agriculture as particularly vulnerable, explaining that prolonged dry spells and delayed rainfall could affect food production in different parts of the country.

“Rain-fed farming is most exposed. Cocoa yields and bean quality fall and black pod rises,” she said.

She warned that late rainfall onset and dry spells could also threaten maize, millet and rice production in northern Ghana, with possible implications for food prices.

On water resources, Ms Martey said reduced rainfall in the Volta Basin could lower inflows into the Volta Lake. However, she cautioned that sudden, intense rainfall following prolonged dry spells could also create flooding and require emergency spillage from the dam.

“Weaker basin rains cut lake inflows. Yet short, intense storms after dry spells can force emergency spillage, as in October 2023. Plan for both over the next 12-18 months,” she said.

She further warned that reduced water inflows could constrain electricity generation at the Akosombo and Kpong hydroelectric facilities, potentially forcing increased reliance on more expensive thermal power generation.

This, she said, could increase fuel and foreign-exchange costs and create electricity supply challenges without early intervention.

Ms Martey also identified public health risks associated with the anticipated conditions, particularly the possibility of increased meningitis cases in northern Ghana due to dusty Harmattan conditions.

Other concerns include heat-related illnesses, malnutrition and cholera outbreaks following flooding.

She said infrastructure, fisheries and livelihoods could also be affected, with bushfires threatening forests and rural assets, while reduced water levels in the Volta could affect lake fishing and aquaculture. Changes in ocean temperatures could also influence marine fish catches.

According to her, the combination of pressure on cocoa production and electricity supply could affect the wider economy, while agencies such as the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), health services and fire services could face simultaneous demands.

El Niño preparedness and early warning

Ms Martey said the El Niño phenomenon was confirmed and still intensifying, with October to December 2026 identified as the most likely period for its peak.

She outlined different risk periods, indicating that dry spells in northern Ghana and flash-flood risks in parts of the south were already emerging.

From October to December 2026, intensified Harmattan conditions are expected to begin alongside declining Volta Lake inflows. Between January and March 2027, the peak dry season is expected to bring heightened risks of meningitis and wildfires.

She said the phenomenon was expected to weaken between April and July 2027, although the onset of the major rainy season remained uncertain.

The GMet official recommended the establishment of a national El Niño task force with monthly reporting arrangements and district-level hazard maps to coordinate preparedness.

She also called for improved monitoring of Volta Lake trigger levels, agricultural weather advisories and meningitis surveillance.

Other recommended measures include promoting drought-tolerant crop varieties, diversifying energy sources, pre-positioning vaccines and emergency relief supplies, and reviewing the adequacy of disaster-response funding.

She further encouraged engagement with regional and international institutions, including ECOWAS and World Meteorological Organization centres, to strengthen preparedness.

Ms Martey said GMet would continue monitoring the phenomenon and issue updated seasonal forecasts to guide decision-making.

“Prepare now for the October 2026 to March 2027 risk window,” she urged.

Religious institutions as community response partners

The initiative by GreenFaith Ghana seeks to connect these meteorological warnings with the community networks of churches, mosques and other places of worship.

The organisers believe religious institutions can help translate technical weather information into messages that congregations can understand and act upon.

Through their established community relationships, faith leaders could help disseminate early warnings, identify vulnerable households, encourage preparedness and coordinate assistance during extreme weather events.

The programme therefore seeks to strengthen the capacity of religious leaders to anticipate climate-related risks and make their institutions more active partners in local disaster preparedness and response.

The initiative comes as GMet calls for stronger impact-based early warning systems and coordinated preparedness across sectors ahead of the anticipated El Niño impacts.

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