Stakeholders Urge Ghana To Pursue Energy Transition In A Sustainable Manner

• Experts in the energy sector have advised the government of Ghana against rushing the country's energy transition drive
• The experts drawn from many civil society organisations noted that although countries like the UK and Germany have ambitious transition timelines Ghana should not feel pressured
• They want Ghana's National Energy Transition Plan to pursue energy that will not make existing fossil fuel assets useless

Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the energy sector have urged the Ghana government to be strategic about the country’s shift from fossil fuels to clean energy.

At a weeklong energy dialogue held at the behest of the National Energy Transition Committee in Accra, stakeholders acknowledged the recent global push for the accelerated energy transition.

Notable among the big movers in the energy transition trend is the UK government, which has pledged not to support funding for oil and gas projects by 2030. The UK has also adopted a policy to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the country around the same time.

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The energy sector stakeholders advised the Energy Transition Committee not to feel pressured but pursue transition at a pace that will not affect the country.

The dialogue with the experts in the sector was to get their inputs on the development of a National Energy Transition Plan for Ghana.

The National Energy Transition Plan will guide the country as it transitions to cleaner energy. This will ensure that Ghana thrives irrespective of the energy transition’s short and long-term impacts.

Energy Transition is a global phenomenon characterised by the shift of countries from the use and patronage of high carbon emitting energy sources to cleaner energy sources ultimately, to attain the net-zero target.

The series of engagements between the National Energy Transition Committee and the experts in the area follow public consultations in all 16 regional capitals, after the Vice President Mahamadou Bawumia launched the engagements in February this year.

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Experts noted that clean energy is vital to Ghana’s energy mix but said it was important for the government to ensure that assets that relate to fossil fuels in Ghana are not stranded. They said the government must public in place proper logistics to enable a smooth shift to a clean energy system.

They said, for instance, that Ghana was not ready for electric vehicles to be used in mass quantities as there are only a few charging stations in the country. A mass adoption of e-vehicles, therefore, would present challenges to electric car drivers.

They added that government must ensure that all incoming transition arrangements are put to the test before electric vehicles are used on a commercial scale.

Akufo-Addo Commissions 100 Mercury-Free Gold Processing Equipment

Meanwhile, in a separate story, YEN.com.gh reported that President Nana Akufo-Addo has commissioned 100 mercury-free gold processing equipment for use by small-scale miners across the country.

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Commissioning the machines commonly referred to as “Gold Katcha” at the Independence Square on Monday, June 6, 2022, Akufo-Addo described their acquisition as a milestone for Ghana’s push toward clean small-scale mining and environmental sustainability.

The Gold Katcha equipment extracts gold from the ore without the use of mercury. For many decades small-scale mining, popularly referred to as galamsey has been done with mercury which pollutes freshwater bodies.

Source: YEN.com.gh