Ghana is ready to transition at favourable pace on energy- Deputy Minister

Deputy Minister of Energy, Hon. Dr. Mohammed Amin, has stated that whilst Ghana remains committed to the global conversation on energy transition, she must be able to do so at a pace favourable to her particular circumstances.

Dr. Amin made this statement when he addressed the first regional town hall forum on the Ghana Energy Transition Plan at Ho in the Volta Regional Capital, Ho recently.
He acknowledged that it has become imperative that we reduce emissions from production and the use of energy by replacing high emitting fuels, particularly fossils with sustainable fuels, such as renewables.

The end goal of such an effort, he said, is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions. He noted that this effort of changing or moving away from energy produced from fossils to energy produced from renewables and other clean and high-efficiency sources is what we term energy transition.

However, Dr Amin, who is also the MP for Karaga, insisted that in as much as Ghana wants to contribute to reducing emissions, a balance must be struck and maintained among our social, economic and environmental requirements.

“We will move with the rest of the world towards cleaner energy. However, we will do this at our pace cognizant of the fact that we are not as resourced as the developed countries. We simply cannot allow our God-given oil resources to become stranded when they are key to our industrialization agenda”, he declared.

The event, which was attended by Ghanaians from all walks of life, centred around the issues confronting the country in the context of energy transition and how the country can confront its challenges and opportunities in a rapidly evolving global society.

Key amongst the participants were the Volta Regional Minister, Hon. Archibald Yao Letsa, the president of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, Togbe Tepre Hodo IV and other dignitaries from key institutions and CSOs within the region.

Further town hall engagements will be taking place in various regional capitals in the ensuing weeks.

The Honorable Minister for Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh on 21st December 2021, inaugurated the National Energy Transition Committee to prepare a plan that will guide Ghana’s process. As part of its activities, the Committee is conducting nationwide stakeholder consultations to solicit inputs from Ghanaians.

The Vice President, H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, recently launched the National Energy Transition Forum in Accra to mark the beginning of the town hall engagements nationwide.