Fourteen groups, comprising ebullient young residents of Kumasi, have been selected to implement the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ agenda for climate change in Kumasi.
The selected groups are Agritradehub,
Earth Guardians, Ghana Association of Students Planners/ KNUST Sustainable Green Future Club, PlantO and Dabethon Group
The rest are, Climate Action Network, Team Sustinere, The Green Guardians of Kumasi
Akwatia Line Scrap Sellers Association, Adoato Executive Club, Center Youth and Literacy Development and Responsibilities Initiative Ghana with two separate but usable proposals.
On May 22, 2024, the KMA announced its partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies for Kumasi’s participation in the “Youth Climate Action Fund.”
As part of this partnership, the KMA received $50,000 from Bloomberg Philanthropies to fund innovative proposals from young residents aged 15-24 to address climate change challenges.
Presenting certificates and cheques to the recipients of the Youth Climate Action Fund at the KMA’s Conference Room on August 7, 2024, the Mayor of Kumasi, Hon. Samuel Pyne, advised the groups to use the funds purposefully.
He stated that, as chairman of the selection committee, he was convinced that the 14 selected proposals out of 33 were not only workable but also impactful for today and the future of society.
He expressed delight in seeing youth involve themselves in the campaign against climate change, noting that the impact of climate change has serious repercussions for the future.
The Mayor assured the recipients that the KMA stood a chance to gain an additional $100,000 to $150,000 upon careful and prudent use of the fund.
To ensure judicious use of the fund, he announced that a monitoring team would visit recipients to assess progress, indicating that microgrant payments would be made in tranches upon authorities’ satisfaction with work done from now until end of September 2024.
Mr. Prince Anokye, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), told the media that the recipients were selected based on parameters set by the KMA and Bloomberg Philanthropies and expressed confidence in the project’s success.
He advised recipients to stick to their proposals and work hard to reduce the impact of climate change while becoming good examples in society.
Miss Rhodaline Asare Odame, lead person for Earth Guardians with the mandate to segregate waste, thanked the KMA and Bloomberg Philanthropies for the financial support to minimize the impact of climate change in Kumasi.
She promised that the fund would be utilised well for its intended purpose and urged the public to cooperate with them in discharging their projects.
