By Albert Allotey
Accra, Oct. 12, GNA – Mrs Samira Bawumia, wife of Vice President Bawumia has called on governments and development agencies to continue taking measures to prioritize clean cooking as a major policy initiative.
“There is the need to integrate clean cooking into government programmes and policies and encourage sustainable clean cooking solutions,” she stated.
Mrs Bawumia, an Ambassador for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves made the call when she hosted this year’s Clean Cooking Forum in Accra, which was organised by the Clean Cooking Alliance, to demonstrate the achievements of clean energy initiatives in recent years.
The forum brought together First lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo and a few Ambassadors and Heads of Missions under one roof for a common cause.
They are Ingrid Mollestad, Norwegian Ambassador, Virginia A. Palmer, US Ambassador, Katia Lasseur, Deputy Head of Mission, Netherlands Embassy, and Vincent Wierda, IDE Energy Lead, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Capital Development Fund.
Others were Carla Montesi, Director at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnership, Dymphna van der Lans, CEO, Clean Cooking Alliance, Shirley McAlpine, Founder, Shirley McAlpine and Associates, and Dr Kandeh Yumkella, Founder and CEO of the Energy Nexus Network.
The rest are Dr Leela Hazzah, Executive Director and Co-founder, Lion Guardians and Co-founder and Leadership Council, WE Africa, Damilola Ogunbiyi, CEO and Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All and Co-Chair of UN-Energy, and Ashvin Dayal, Senior Vice President Power and Climate, Rockefeller Foundation.
Mrs Bawumia, who addressed world Leaders on clean cooking at a high-level meeting last week in Switzerland said: “A concerted political will was essential to ensure progress of the clean cooking sector, adding; “High-level political will and action was necessary. I am glad to see a strong representation from our government today,” She stated.
Mrs Bawumia said: “it will take sound public policies, a comprehensive approach, and long-term commitment from all development actors.
“And for me, reducing cooking emissions is critical to reducing forest degradation, improving health, empowering women, and children, protecting the environment, and helping achieve numerous other Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
She was optimistic that the forum would pave the way to expedite action to help bring clean cooking to the billions who live without it.
Outlining the reasons for a shift in current energy trends that have a devastating impact on human lives and the environment, she observed that the simple act of cooking (using unclean fuels and technology) is a leading source of global air pollution and causes more deaths each year than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.
“It is one of the most underfunded – and furthest behind – indicators in the SDGs, receiving less than one per cent of the estimated resources needed to address it.”
GNA