Research Into Biogas Fields----Researchers And Academia Urged

Researchers and Academia have been urged to conduct more studies in the biogas field to unearth the full potential of the biogas industry in the country.

The industry players are also to critically look at the optimization of the digestion process and the need to construct efficient but low-cost biogas plants to enable the replacement of septic tanks with bio digesters.

Nana Akua Owusu-Afriyieh, Member of Parliament for Ablekuma North Constituency, who made the call in Accra, also recommended the bridging of the gap between industry players, researchers and all regulatory bodies and consumers.

That, she said, would accelerate the country's achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and urged all practitioners to get on board.

Nana Owusu-Afriyieh was inaugurating the Biogas Association of Ghana (BAG), established in 2016 at a meeting organised by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to bring together other stakeholders in the sector together to promote sustainable development of the biogas and biomass sectors in the country.

It is also to contribute to the development of policies and programmes aimed at improving sanitation, environment, access to energy and sustainable agricultural practices to improve livelihoods and mitigate climate change.

The MP, therefore, urged the Energy Commission, EPA, Ghana Standards Authority and other relevant stakeholders to develop an all-inclusive roadmap towards the regulation of commercial activities in the biogas industry.

Nana Owusu-Afriyieh, who is also a Board Member of Energy Commission, said the biogas technology has tremendous advantages, which were key to the sustainable development of the country's economy, particularly in accelerating the country's quest to achieve its SDGs.

She noted that a successful biogas and biotechnology industry would fast-track the country's achievement of SDGs six, seven, 13, 14 and 15 and could as well serve as a solution to challenges with waste disposal and sanitation.

'In Ghana this same technology can be used to treat the city's liquid waste to produce electricity, heat, and organic fertilizer for agricultural purposes. This could also help to purify our polluted lagoons and turn them into tourist and recreational sites,' she said.

The MP expressed the hope that in a year or two, the Energy Commission would implement a certification programme of biogas installers, similar to the programme being run for certified electrical wiring professionals to bring sanity into the industry.

Dr Ellias Delali Aklaku, President of the Association, said they believed in the biogas technology as having the most sustainable solution to the country's environmental, sanitation, energy and agricultural challenges.

He said their core objective was to bring together key actors in the sector to share ideas on ways of promoting sanitation and the adoption of biogas technology in the domestic, institutional and industrial sectors.

He urged the public to ignore the assertion that the technology was not working in Ghana, adding, 'we should learn from the Roman Catholic Church, who are the first institution to start installing biogas in all its health and educational institutions'.

He said: 'if today, they are no more using it as source of energy, it has solved their sanitation problem' and urged all institutions and individuals to patronize the technology as an alternative to septic tanks.

Mr Lambert Faabeluon, Director, Ghana National Cleaner Production Centre, urged the practitioners not to depend only on local materials but must open up to reliable and cost effective materials to promote the technology.

Mrs Agnes Frimpong, Project Manager, GIZ Renewable Energy Project Development Programme, said associations were very important for development partners because it made it easier to share experiences and ideas and commended the leadership of the Association for its formation.

She said GIZ and the leadership of the Association were engaged in forming a partnership in terms of training and technical support for its members and urged members to adhere to good standards and quality to build public confidence in biogas technology.

GNA
By Patience Gbeze/ Ayisha Issaka, GNA