Local economic development (LED) has gained prominence as a feasible option to top–down development approaches that have generally been unsuccessful in generating significant and sustainable development at the local level. While LED has proven to bean attractive local development strategy, very little attention has been devoted to the policy and practice of LED in Ghana. This article fills this gap and contributes to thediscussion and evidence of LED in sub-Saharan Africa. The article is the output of an examination of documentary sources on LED policies, practices and case studies in Ghana. We argue that while LED policy and practice in Ghana has been in existence for several years, local areas are still building their impetus for the initiative of their owneconomic development and find practical solutions that make sense in their milieu. It is crucial for local governments to develop LED actions plans, ensure effective participation of stakeholders, build in value chain and reduce politicization.

Climate change remains a global issue creating environmental, social, and economic problems 
at different levels and scales (Mendelsohn et al., 2006; Popoola et al., 2020). Climate change has 
severely affected the livelihoods of people, especially those who depend heavily on the natural 
environment and/or have a low capacity to adapt (Tirivangasi and Nyahunda, 2019). Therefore, efforts are aimed at assisting vulnerable populations to adapt to the changing climate (Pörtner, 2022).
Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the most vulnerable regions, very susceptible to the impacts of climate change due to the overreliance of its economy on climate-sensitive activities and its very low 
adaptive capacity due to acute poverty levels (AGRA, 2018; Di Falco, 2018). The region highly depends on rainfall to provide water, food, and energy to its inhabitants (Ofori et al., 2021). The prevalence of rain-fed agriculture in most of sub-Saharan Africa makes its food systems highly sensitive to the changing rainfall (Thompson et al., 2010). High poverty rates, conflicts, poor management of natural resources, and low socioeconomic development also increase the region’s vulnerability (Maja and Ayano, 2021). Meanwhile, temperatures on the African continent are projected to exceed the global average (with an increased average of 3–4°C). Changes in precipitation are also expected in the 21st century through to the 22nd century (Niang et al., 2014; Thompson et al., 2010)