PurposeThis paper seeks to review literature on environmental safeguards for five selected multilateral financial institutions (MFIs) with the objective of verifying whether their environmental safeguards have been updated with climate change elements, and whether they have adopted specific climate change strategies for their investment portfolios.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology set for this review was based on a set of descriptive criteria. These included content reviews on MFIs existing safeguards or formal environmental guidelines, the extent of incorporation of climate change to guidelines text, and overarching strategies adopted to address climate change.FindingsGenerally, the environmental safeguards reviewed have minimally discussed formal considerations of climate change issues. Although environmental safeguards continue to play vital roles in bank operations, it generally remains traditional with minimal adjustments to formally include climate change. Nevertheless, all the banks have developed overarching climate change strategies at the strategic level.Research limitations/implicationsThe information presented herein is compiled from articles, reports, papers and books identified from computer‐based searches. The research is limited to information available on the internet, books and papers. It is therefore possible that MFIs are involved in some climate change activities not yet in the public domain, and as such are not covered by this paper.Practical implicationsQuite clearly, the adjustment of environmental assessments such as environmental impacts assessment/strategic environmental assessment to include climate change is in the offing. This means that practitioners may need to considerably understand the character of climate change and thereby construct concrete approaches to tackle both ideological and methodological gaps.Originality/valueThis paper fulfils an identified need in the climate change discourse, bringing forward climate change as an issue deserving more legal, formal and obligatory attention.

Ghana is blessed with a wealth of new-found oil and gas resources. Discovery of the giant Jubilee field has given Ghana's leaders a sense of great opportunity and an equally great responsibility to avoid falling subject to the "oil curse". To help manage this balance, in 2010 the World Bank and the Norwegian government extended $58 million dollars in financing to help Ghana build systems to responsibly govern the development of its oil and gas resources. However, in putting this aid to good use Ghana must first understand and build consensus across various agencies and other stakeholders regarding its own needs for capacity building. In 2011 Ghana's Ministry of Environment and Kosmos Energy undertook a "Needs Assessment of Capacity Building for Environmental Governance and Regulation of the Oil and Gas Industry" in an effort to establish this basis for progress. The study included interviews and workshops with dozens of stakeholders, and integration of the findings and recommendations of studies by government agencies, finance organizations, NGOs and other organizations regarding environmental governance in Ghana. The study identified ten high level need categories and specified 57 actions needed to make progress on strengthening the governance and regulatory systems to better manage future oil and gas activities. The Ministry intends to use the Assessment and associated Capacity Building plan as a needs-based foundation for building Ghana's capacity to better govern the environmental and social concerns associated with its oil boom.

This paper examines the Kosmos Innovation model that demonstrates impactful results combining integrative but innovative social investment approaches altogether for an impactful social change. The Kosmos Innovation model was applied to a set of young entrepreneurs with ICT and Agribusiness background. They went through the three main tenets of the model, which are Collaboration, Incubation and Acceleration. Through observations and analysis, these components were deployed to facilitate connections for knowledge sharing, excite and inspire budding entrepreneurs to use technology as a conduit for development and engage small holder businesses to scale up private sector solutions. Processes are compared and impactful approaches were identified. This long-term project has just begun but key impact indicators and KPIs on social change, business change and market system changes are beginning to emerge. The goal of investing in one entrepreneur at a time within the innovative but integrated approach of providing collaborative and synergistical platforms, incubation of new ideas and ideals, the acceleration of potential on-going projects have energized stakeholder perceptions about agriculture. Combining the three pronged approach at the same time is creating positive social, business and market changes. This paper describes the processes and results of the model and discusses the novelty of the new approach and its ability to combine integrative approaches all at the same time, to develop both start-up and small scale entrepreneurs.

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The objective of this paper is to describe the process and results of the multi-stakeholder approach to solving marine zone conflicts which could serve as a reference for managing impacts of offshore E&P in other countries. Ghana's fishers and coastal communities had raised many concerns over the potential adverse impacts of offshore oil exploration and production prior to the development of the giant Jubilee field nearly a decade ago. Government officials have worked to filter the noise and misperceptions from the legitimate concerns in an effort to focus management efforts and communications on addressing actual impacts. In 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of Ghana in collaboration with other stakeholders initiated an Independent Study to ascertain the impacts of Exploration and Production on fisheries and the Marine environment as an important step in defining the way forward. The study included extensive interview and consultation with various stakeholders and produced series of recommendations that were carefully vetted with these stakeholders. Implementing these recommendations in a manner that is inclusive of broad stakeholder interests to ensure peaceful coexistence between the fisheries and oil and gas sectors and harmonious utilization of the marine environment is inherently associated with critical challenges. To address these critical challenges, the Ministry of Fisheries, with support from offshore E&P operators and the Independent Study team launched a multi-stakeholder Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee with a specific charter and work plan for implementing recommended actions of the Independent Study. Under the guidance of the Marine Fisheries Advisory Committee, a Coastal and Marine Sector Action Plan with activities categorized into seven priority areas was developed to address the main concerns of stakeholders. An Inter-Ministerial Oversight Committee (IMOC) is to be established to provide leverage for the implementation of the Action plan.