Impacts of Climate Variability on Salt Production in Ghana: Case of Songor Salt Project

Climate change has been widely recognized as a multi-scalar economic and environmental problem that affects various sectors in the world today. The Songor salt project located in Ada East District of the Greater Accra region produces salt that feeds both the local and international markets with high-quality salt for consumption and industrial purposes. The industry is currently under threat due to several factors including climate change. This study was undertaken to ascertain the linkages and impacts of climate variability (temperature and rainfall) on the quantity of salt produced over the years. Salt yield levels were correlated with temperature and rainfall data between 1980-2010 for climate data and 1996-2014 for the salt production. In exploring the impacts of climate change on the salt production, a linear multiple regression model was employed in which salt production was regressed as dependable variable against temperature and rainfall as independent variables. The findings suggested that climate change and the quantity of salt produced are linked. Although the model results do not show statistical significant relationship, the results indicate that an increase in 1mm of rainfall will lead to an increase in 0.142 Mt of salt produced per year and vice versa whereas an increase in 1℃ will rather lead to a decrease in -0.488 Mt of salt produced per year and vice versa (R2 = 0.514; Coefficient of Determination= 51.4%; P > 0.05). We recommend that for medium to long-term sustainability of the salt industry, adoption and mainstreaming of the salt sector into the climate change adaptation strategy as part of the overall national adaptation policy is imperative. Also, investment in efficient technologies, infrastructure and storage facilities to produce and store the salt commodity to avoid production losses and leakages are also essential to buffer the impacts of climate change.