Accra, June 3, GNA- Dr Joseph Essandoh-Yeddu, the Lead Technical Partner on the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) Action Project, has asked the Government to expedite action on enacting a national policy on electric vehicles.
The policy and its subsidiary regulation, he said, would fast-track Ghana’s efforts to phase out fossil-fuel-powered vehicles and switch to electromobility (e-mobility).
Dr Essandoh-Yeddu said through engagements with stakeholders, the team found that local automotive companies were interested in adding electric vehicles to their fleet, but were unable to do so in the absence of a national policy.
“They will only go ahead when national e-charging infrastructure and policy are in place,” he said at a media briefing in Accra.
The shift from fossil-fuel-powered vehicles to electric vehicles is towards efforts to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emission in the transport sector, contribute to keeping the global temperature low, and create a cleaner, healthier and more affordable future for everyone.
The move also forms part of the implementation of Ghana’s NDCs, a climate plan, which has 47 adaptation and mitigation measures.
The NDCs are climate plans put together by countries in line with the Paris Agreement of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Ghana has also joined the Africa Low-carbon Emission Development Strategy (LEDs) Project, an initiative to support the implementation of her NDCs.
Dr Essandoh-Yeddu said national stakeholder scoping workshops were held in 2020, during which clean energy in relation to transport (particularly e-mobility) and climate-smart agriculture, including solar power irrigation, were selected as priority sectors for support.
He said the energy sector was prioritised as it accounted for 36 per cent of the national greenhouse gas emissions.
He said the transport sector emissions also accounted for 17 per cent of the overall national greenhouse gas emissions.
Making reference to a report by the Energy Commission in 2019, Dr Essandoh-Yeddu, said the e-mobility promotion was projected to drop greenhouse gas emissions in the transport sector by at least 10 per cent by 2030.
“E-mobility in relation to transport has become crucial, as electric propulsion for vehicular transport is taking centre stage globally in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions, more so since Ghana is looking at sustainable mass transportation,” he said.
Dr Essandoh-Yeddu said solar was a cheaper option for power pumping for irrigation, preservation, crop drying, and also a source of electricity for e-charging of electric vehicles plying in off-grid remote communities.
Mr Ebenezer Appah-Sarpong, Deputy Executive Director of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), said the exchange and dissemination of information were essential in the implementation of the NDCs and appealed to the media to express interest in climate change issues.
“We need to deepen our understanding of climate change and everybody has a responsibility in promoting action,” he said.
In accordance with the tenets of Article four of the Paris Agreement and UNFCCC, Ghana updated its NDCs, which were passed by the cabinet, approved by President Nana AddoDankwaAkufo-Addo, deposited at the UNFCCC Secretariat, and outdoored at the COP 26 Summit last year.
The 19 policy actions, which translated into 13 adaptation and 34 mitigation programmes of action, will generate absolute greenhouse gas emission reductions of 64 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (MtCO2e).
GNA