Ghana must intensify its preparedness for the potential effects of El Niño, including hotter conditions and reduced rainfall, climate scientist Dr Jeffery Aryee has urged.
Speaking on Globe TV’s News Lens on Monday, November 9, 2026, Dr Aryee said early warnings had provided an important foundation, but more deliberate action was needed to protect lives, livelihoods and key sectors of the economy.
He acknowledged efforts by the meteorological agency to provide advance information and communicate potential risks to the public. However, he cautioned that the availability of forecasts alone did not amount to full preparedness.
“We still need to push more,” he said. “In terms of preparedness, I would say we are probably on track in the minor things, but we still have quite more to do.”
Dr Aryee explained that El Niño involves warming in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, with effects that extend beyond the region through changes in atmospheric conditions.
These connections, he said, can produce different outcomes across the world, bringing excessive rainfall to some areas and rainfall deficits to others.
He added that the warming associated with the phenomenon, combined with the broader effects of climate change, made its potential consequences a concern for Ghana.
According to him, disruptions to agriculture and other economic sectors could affect entire value chains, extending the impact beyond farmers and businesses to the wider population.
“Once there’s an impact, it means all the various lines of the value chain in terms of various sectors are affected,” he said.
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