Only 14% of Ghanaians use clean fuels – 2nd Lady Samira Bawumia laments

Ghana’s Second Lady, Her Excellency Mrs. Samira Bawumia, has bemoaned the poor adoption of clean energy in Ghana, with statistics showing that most people use unsafe options.
 
Mrs. Bawumia, an Ambassador for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, highlighted the latest data pointing to the fact that “about 14% of the population currently cook with clean fuels and technology and 32% are using improved cookstoves”.
 
This marks a “slow but steady growth” after Ghana adopted the ISO standard for clean cookstoves and clean cooking solutions.
 
The Second Lady of Ghana, who has been on a relentless campaign for clean energy, observed that there had been efforts to set a minimum standard, develop labels, and upgrade testing centres, all in an effort to ensure world-class market development of clean cooking solutions in Ghana.
 
Currently, the Ghanaian government is also promoting the adoption of LPG by 50% as the primary cooking fuel by 2030.
 
Mrs. Bawumia made these known at the 2022 Clean Cooking Forum in Accra on October 11.
 
Delivering the opening remarks at the event, which witnessed a high attendance by global leaders, she revealed that globally, especially in some developing countries, more than 2.5 billion continue to rely on wood, coal, charcoal, agriculture residues, or animal dung to cook their meals and heat their homes.
 
“These homes become dangerous places to be, simply because the energy sources they use release high levels of pollutants that are harmful to their health,” She said.
 
She was particularly concerned that the lack of access to clean cooking in sub-Saharan Africa remains acute.
 
“It is the only region where the number of those without access continues to rise. The share of those with access just increased from 15% in 2015 to 17% in 2020,” she noted.
 
Explaining reasons for adopting clean cooking methods, she stated that air pollution causes more than 7 million deaths every year, with 1.1 million deaths occurring in Africa.
 
“Household air pollution, which is driven largely by indoor cookstoves, accounted for 700,000 fatalities, while increased outdoor air pollution claimed four hundred thousand 400,000 lives.
 
“In Ghana, the World Bank estimates that sixteen thousand (16,000) people die prematurely from air pollution every year. Each number in these millions represents a mother, father, son, daughter, or friend who is loved by his / her loved ones. These deaths are avoidable and unacceptable,” She emphasised.
 
To support her resolve for clean cooking initiatives, she cited the State of Global Air study, which pointed out that about 236,000 newborn infants are estimated to have died of air-pollution-related causes in sub-Saharan Africa.
 
In addition, studies by a team of researchers led by Boston College and the UN Environment Programme examining the toll on children’s developing brains revealed that air pollution exposure to infants and young children resulted in the loss of 1.96 billion IQ points across the continent.
 
“This will no doubt have serious consequences for the future of the continent,” She stressed as she called on leaders to formulate clean energy policies.
 
As global leaders aim to achieve net zero by 2050, Mrs Bawumia quickly added that “clean cooking is an essential part of achieving this”.
 
She was of the view that emission reductions have to go hand-in-hand with efforts to ensure clean energy access for all by 2030.
 
Therefore, she identified sound public policies, a holistic approach, and long-term commitment from all development actors as some factors that will make the objective a reality.
 
“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).
 
“We will be letting down a significant portion of the world population if we pay only lip service to clean energy access, particularly clean cooking, especially in Africa.
 
“Let us choose to strengthen partnerships to better effectively address the issues of clean energy solutions. The cost of inaction is too high; we must act now!”
 
Having been at the forefront of clean energy campaigns, Mrs Bawumia lobbied for the 2022 Clean Cooking Forum to be hosted by Ghana.
 
It follows a highly successful WHO programme in Geneva, Switzerland, where Mrs Bawumia called on world leaders to take immediate action to increase access to clean energy.
 
Some of the global leaders who participated in the 2022 Clean Cooking Forum include H.E. Ingrid Mollestad, Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana; H.E. Virginia A. Palmer, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Ghana; Honorable Katja Lasseur, Deputy Head of Mission, Netherlands Embassy in Ghana; Vincent Wierda, IDE Energy Lead, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, United Nations Capital Development Fund; Carla Montesi, Director at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships; Dymphna van der Lans, CEO, Clean Cooking Alliance; Shirley McAlpine, Founder, Shirley McAlpine & Associates; Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, Founder and CEO of the Energy Nexus Network; Dr. Leela Hazzah, Executive Director & Co-founder, Lion Guardians and Co-founder & 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; Ashvin Dayal, Senior Vice President Power and Climate, Rockefeller Foundation; and H.E. Rebecca Akufo-Addo, First Lady of the Republic of Ghana; and Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Minister of Energy, Ghana.