In the last few days, the National Energy Transition Committee has met with a number of key stakeholders to solicit feedback for the creation of a National Energy Transition Plan.
This comes after the Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, started regional public consultations in all 16 regional capitals in February of this year at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra.
While these stakeholders applauded the government's efforts in dealing with the realities of energy transition, the general view was that it should be done in a sustainable manner so that the country does not suffer.
On June 3, 2022, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the energy space acknowledged that the government's recent push for accelerated energy transition has received significant support from global stakeholders, citing, among other things, the UK Government's pledge not to support funding for oil and gas projects, as well as its adoption of a policy to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030.
Stakeholders encourage the government to pursue a sustainable energy transition.
This, they believe, should encourage the administration to stick to its guns and move at its own pace.
The diplomatic corps and donor agencies took the stage on Monday, June 6, 2022. The general agreement was that the speed with which the shift was taking place and the tactics that were being used were ineffective.
The Ghanaian government has put in place measures to guarantee that the country's oil assets do not get stranded.
They looked happy with the President's statement that, while Ghana and Africa would endeavor to reduce carbon emissions, there is a desired balance that will assure the nations' long-term prosperity.
The next day's meeting with representatives of various religious groups established support for the government as well as a pledge to play a key part in the process by engaging in message sensitization and distribution to their varied constituency.
The Ghana Upstream Chamber also urged Ghana to proceed with caution in its efforts to transition to cleaner energy, and to do it at its own speed, rather than yielding to western demands.
On Wednesday, June 8, 2022, as part of the ongoing stakeholder engagement, a decision was taken.
The chamber emphasized the importance of clean energy in our energy mix and warned that the government must guarantee that assets related to fossil fuels in Ghana do not become stranded, as well as that the necessary infrastructure are in place to operate a clean energy system.
Stakeholders encourage the government to pursue a sustainable energy transition.
The chamber also noted that Ghana is not yet ready for electric vehicles to be utilized in large numbers since the country has just a few charging sites, leaving electric car drivers stranded. They went on to say that the administration must make sure that all plans are in place and that they have been implemented.
On a commercial basis, electric cars are used.
In the coming days, the commission will meet with representatives from the Ghana IPPs Chamber, Service Providers & Vendors, Ghana Charcoal Producers & Firewood Dealers (GhaCCO), Market Women Associations, GUTA & Traders Associations, Parliamentarians, the Judiciary, and the Council of State.
Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, William Owuraku, Aidoo, Andrew Mercer, and Frederick Obeng Adom and Alhassan Tampuli from the Energy Ministry, as well as Frederick Obeng Adom and Alhassan Tampuli from the Transport Ministry, presided over these meetings.
The chairpersons for all of these engagements, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and Kwaku Ofori Asiamah, respectively, representing the Energy and Transport Ministers, assured that the Ministry will continue to pursue targeted stakeholder engagements with other stakeholders in the coming weeks, such as independent power producers and charcoal producers, to name a few.
Stakeholders were also informed that their input and recommendations will be included in the development of a draft National Energy Transition Plan for Cabinet's consideration.
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