Conference on Clean Cookstoves and fuel opens

Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah new

Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah Accra, April 9, GNA - Mr Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, Minister of Energy and Petroleum, on Wednesday said his outfit is developing effective guidelines and regulations for the reintroduction of the Cylinder Re-circulation Model, which existed some years ago.

This, he said, is been done in collaboration with National Petroleum Authority, Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company, Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company, Energy Commission and other stakeholders.

He explained that the model would reduce to minimal levels the numerous health and safety LPG related challenges, including fatal accidents that have been confronting the country recently.

Mr Buah said the Cylinder Re-circulation Model, which was popularly known as the Coca-Cola model, ensured a system where major oil marketing companies owned cylinders and supplied Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to consumers.

He explained that under the system consumers would not have to wait for a refill, but just drop their empty cylinders in exchange of already filled ones, and this would encourage the effective patronage and use of LPG.

Mr Armah-Kofi Buah, who opened the Ghana National Clean Cookstoves and fuel Conference (GHACCO), said Ghana needs to double up efforts towards achieving 50 per cent LPG penetration by 2020.

The clean cookstove initiative of GHACCO seeks to ensure the use of cook stoves to address the high levels of indoor air pollution as a result of cooking with solid fuels.

He said his outfit is making strides to increase access to consumption through the LPG Promotion Programme , in the urban and rural areas, by establishing more refilling plants and vending points, together with the distribution of bulk cylinders to increase LPG usage in urban communities.

This is to achieve among other things, improve quality of life of rural dwellers, eliminate health-related problems and augment governments effort at arresting deforestation in the country, he said.

About 220 participants from 50 countries are participating in the conference which is on the theme: Enhancing Supply: Reaching scale in support of 2020 goals.

Mr Buah said worrying statistics gathered indicates that in Ghana 84 per cent of households rely on solid fuels such as wood and charcoal for cooking.

He said a recent World Health Organisation report has revealed that more than 13,400 deaths in Ghana each year are caused by household air pollution, and that the countrys forest cover had reduced by 70 per cent over the last 40 years, partially due to cooking fuel harvesting.

He said the negative effects and persistent use of wood fuel could defeat Ghanas target of attaining the 50 per cent coverage of LPG access country-wide

Dr Nii Darko Asante, Technical Director at Ghana Energy Commission (GEC), said the programme is part of this years Ghana Action Plan Review meeting on the country situation, challenges, solutions and the way forward.

He said the government has over the past years demonstrated leadership in the promotion of cleaner, healthier and safer methods of cooking, heating and lighting.

He said several structures and infrastructure had been put in place to ensure the sustainable supply of LPG supply which faced some challenges in 2013.

Mrs Faustina Boakye, Chairperson, GHACCO, called for intensified education on the need for the use of sustainable c ookstoves to ensure that persons who wished to use the old system of fuel to LPG because they felt uncomfortable to use them, would save fuel by the use of these sustainable technologies.

According to her several programmes have been put in place by the government over the period to promote clean fuels and cook stoves to improve the health and lives of Ghanaians.

GNA