By Deborah Naa Aku Allotey
Tema, Dec. 03, GNA – The AbibiNsroma Foundation, a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO), with support from Milieudefensie (FoE-Netherlands), has engaged some media personnel in Tema on the need for the country to use cleaner energies.
The engagement, which was held on the theme “Just Energy Transition,” was aimed at equipping media professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively communicate the importance of transitioning to cleaner energy sources, while addressing Gha
The participants at the event agreed that leadership must align with global advancements in energy and consider the social impacts of these transitions.
Mr Robert Tettey Kwami Amiteye, the Coordinator for AbibiNsroma Foundation, said although Africa contributed only four per cent of the world’s pollution, the continent suffered significantly due to its slow adaptation to new technologies and a lack of infrastructure to support them.
He said, “this had forces Ghana, which is rich in natural resources, to rely on exporting its resources, only to face exorbitant prices when they are re-imported after refinement elsewhere.”
“Ghana should support the decarbonisation of Export Credit Agencies (ECAs),” he said.
Mr Amiteye said Article 2.1(c) of the Paris Agreement states that financial flows must align with low greenhouse gas development pathways.
Although since the signing of the Agreement in 2015, public financial institutions, including ECAs, had allocated about $80 billion annually to fossil fuel value chains, Ghana needed to commit to redirecting ECA financing from fossil fuels to green and renewable energy projects, he said.
He stressed that Ghana’s energy transition must be equitable and fair, adding that it was necessary to create awareness among the populace about the transition process, highlighting that jobs could be generated for the youth through this initiative.
Again, capacity building for stakeholders was key, to ensure that no one was left behind in this critical transition, urging that the community must be engaged and educated to facilitate a fair transition towards sustainable energy consumption.
Mr Amiteye suggested that polluters should be made to bear the cost of their actions, rather than using greenwashing funds, noting that the new climate finance goal (NCQG) must not be diverted to fossil fuel investments.
He said ECA support significantly enables fossil fuel projects, despite promises from many governments to cease fossil finance abroad, adding that this transition should encourage local participation and ownership, ensuring a just move towards sustainable energy.
Mr Yves Nii Noi Hanson-Nortey, the Member of Parliament for the Tema Central constituency and a member of the Parliamentary Committee on Environmental, Science, Technology, and Innovation, cautioned against rushing the transition, advocating for a gradual and cautious approach.
He called for increased investment from the government in technology to support the transition.
GNA