ER Minister urges gov’t to take cognisance of SDG 7 for sustainable energy

The Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Kwame Acheampong, has underscored the need for the country to take cognisance of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, which is “Affordable and Clean Energy”, to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

To this end, he called on the Assemblies to demonstrate commitment towards implementation of activities in their medium term development plans against climate change.

He particularly urged them to collaborate effectively with the Forestry Commission as well as other relevant agencies and mobilise communities to actively participate in this year’s edition of “Green Ghana Day” slated for June 10.

He also encouraged all stakeholders to take active part in deliberations by coming up with refreshing ideas, which would go a long way to enrich preparation of the country’s National Energy Transition Plan.

Mr Acheampong said this at the Eastern Regional Stakeholders Forum on the National Energy Transition Plan at Koforidua, which followed the successful inauguration of the National Energy Transition Committee on December 17, 2021.

Electric vehicle use

Taking his turn, the Deputy Transport Minister, Alhassan Tampuli, shared the government’s plans and preparation towards embracing the usage of electronic vehicles in Ghana.

According to him, the government is developing an electronic mobility policy to guide the development and scale-up of electric vehicles in the country.

He added that the government was working assiduously to introduce the first batch of electric-powered busses for public transportation.

In his contribution, the Deputy Minister of Energy, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, noted that global energy transition is characterised by the shift from the use and patronage of high carbon emitting energy sources to cleaner energy sources to attain a NET-ZERO target.

He said the government believes the necessary steps should be taken to put the nation in readiness for the fast changing trends in global energy space. He added it was also to ensure that Ghana thrived despite the short and long-term impacts of the transition.

“The Ministry has resolved that fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, will continue to be part of Ghana’s energy mix. However, strategies will be put in place to increase the share of renewable energy in the mix in the medium to long-term,” he clarified.

The forum

Present at the forum were representatives from Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, led by Nana Yaw Boadu IV, acting President of Akwamu Traditional Council, Chief Director of ERCC, Mr. Samuel Donkor, Municipal/ District Chief Executives in the Region, stakeholder NGOs, EPA, Forestry Commission and representatives from academia.

The objective of the forum was to give stakeholders an opportunity to gather information to assess the current situation in the energy sector, the benefits, risks and cost of global energy transition and to prescribe risk mitigation measures among others.

The inputs from this forum and that of other regions will be used to draft the Ghana Energy Transition Plan towards our commitment to the Paris Agreement and the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26).