#Women4theClimate: Meet Portia Adu-Mensah, a Ghanaian climate activist

Portia Adu-Mensah

#Women4theClimate: Meet Portia Adu-Mensah, a Ghanaian climate activist

Hello readers,

Welcome to #Women4theClimate on CleanbuildVoices!

It is another Wednesday and for today’s special, we’ll shine the spotlight on an amazing woman who is actively working in the climate space to effect a change.

Our Woman Crush Wednesday (WCW) is Portia Adu-Mensah. Hailing from Ghana, Portia holds a degree in banking and finance from Central University College’s Faculty of Accounting and Finance.

With a background in accounting, one might think that Portia is headed for the financial world. Surprisingly, that was not the case.

Portia is the founder of Dream Hunt, a Ghanaian non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable development and social justice. She continues to work for climate justice, particularly in Ghana, where clean coal is being used.

Portia is passionate about the environment. It is this desire to combat climate change that motivated her to organize, participate in, and support environmental campaigns and activities geared towards sustainability and climate justice in Ghana.

Portia leverages her academic knowledge in her quest for environmental advocacy, believing that prioritizing the ecosystem over capitalism is the only way to address the climate catastrophe.
Due to her activism, she was selected as a National Coordinator for the 350 Ghana Reducing Our Carbon campaign.

In 2019, she had the opportunity to be a participant in an ActionAid Ghana film documentary about rising sea levels and how they were affecting girls and young women in the community.

Before filming began, Portia and her crew saw that increasing sea levels had flooded many homes, and pollution was at an all-time high.

Seizing this opportunity, Portia organized a youth forum where she together with her crew created awareness about climate change, urging youths in the affected area to take actions to address and minimize the effects.

Portia holds membership of various advocacy organizations such as 350.org, Water Aid Ghana, Friends of the Earth US, Abibinsroma Foundation, 350Ghana Reducing Our Carbon (350GROC), and Alliance for Empowering Rural Communities among others.

She has also sponsored a number of projects and events, including the “Th World Walks for Water & Sanitation 2013” hosted by Water Aid Ghana.

With women and children being disproportionately affected by climate change,  it is not surprising that more women are now speaking up and calling for actions to mitigate its effects.

Like these women, Portia Adu-Mensah has taken a stance to fight against climate change and support efforts to ensure a safer planet.

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