The Sekondi Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Covenant of Mayors in Sub-Saharan Africa (CoM SSA) to become a member of the regional chapter of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM). The CoM SSA network has over 340 local governments taking ambitious climate and energy action in the region, with a focus on boosting resilient and low-emission infrastructure. GIZ Ghana, who is providing CoM SSA support to signatories coordinated the process for STMA to join the network. The Project Manager for CoM SSA in Ghana, Shea O’Neil indicated that STMA joining CoM SSA is a bold step and commitment to develop and integrate a sustainable energy access and climate action plan to protect communities and livelihoods from the impacts of climate change. She indicated that COM SSA focused on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing access to sustainable, affordable and safe energy in cities. She added that the CoM SSA programme works on three pillars, which are Sustainable Energy Access and Climate Action Plans (SEACAP), Urban Infrastructure Project Support and City-to-City Partnerships.

Ms. O’Neil pointed out that the SEACAP process will be participatory and appealed for stakeholders' support to ensure its success. She expressed the hope that the SEACAP would be entrenched in the day-to-day lives of the people in the city and improve livelihoods. Adding that, the bold commitment from STMA to take action on climate change would be supported by COM SSA to assess public buildings for renewable energy. The Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi, Hon. Abdul Mumin Issah, indicated that, upon reviewing the CoM SAA initiative, STMA found it mutually satisfactory to begin a journey of collaboration and partnership towards the global fight against climate change. He observed that Africa is the most vulnerable and threatened continent to the impact of climate change. The mayor stated that millions of lives are threatened by the impact of climate change across the world.

He was optimistic that the collaboration would bring some solutions to the people in the metropolis and Ghana. The EU Head of Infrastructure and Sustainable Development, Madam Paulina Rozycka, revealed that the EU would support STMA in achieving its desire to transform Sekondi-Takoradi into a greener city. She indicated that their support for climate interventions centres on three main areas namely; capacity building, support to energy systems to foster a climate-friendly environment and city-to-city cooperation.
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