Ghana Needs A National Policy On Clean Cooking

Panellists at the Eighth National Policy Dialogue have called for a centralised National Policy on Clean Cooking.

They said such a policy should have an entity regulating the Clean Cookstove sector from the national level to the local level.

Clean Cookstove typically describes a stove with higher efficiency or lower emissions than a traditional stove, including being safer to use and more durable.

The three member panel include Madam Sarah Naa Dede Agbey, Chairperson, Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Fuel (GHACCO); Dr Richard Quansah, School of Public Health, University of Ghana; and Mr Julius Nkansah Nyarko, Chief Programme Officer, Renewable Energy, Energy Commission.

The Eighth National Policy Dialogue dubbed 'Making Clean Cooking Technologies a National Priority', was organised by the Ministry of Planning in collaboration with SNV Netherlands Development Organisation and the GHACCO.

The dialogue sought to create a forum for sharing of ideas for policy formulation.

The panellists spoke on the topic 'Do we need a Specific National Policy on Clean Cooking for Ghana or is a revised Renewable Policy Good Enough?'

Madam Agbey and Dr Quansah were of the view that all the current policies on Clean Cooking that were scattered within the various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) should be brought together into a single consolidated national clean Cooking Policy with a regulatory body, which should be placed directly under the Office of the Presidency.

They said the Ministry of Energy has a lot on its hands and since its attention has been on the petroleum sector, placing such a national Clean Cooking entity under it, would render it to an orphan status.

Mr Nyarko was, however, was of the view that such a national Clean Cooking regulatory body should be cited with the Ministry of Energy.

All the panellists agreed that Clean Cookstoves provide efficient and clean cooking, which goes a long way to reduce toxic air pollution, save lives, protect the environment, and improve livelihoods.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) indicates that over three billion people in low- and middle-income countries rely on solid fuels (wood, animal dung, charcoal, crop wastes and coal) burned in inefficient and highly polluting stoves for cooking and heating, currently resulting in some four million premature deaths annually.

According to the WHO these same household pollutants, such as black carbon, also have climate warming effects.

According to a World Bank Report, annually Ghana loses about 16,600 human lives because of indoor pollutions.

The function was chaired by Hajia Mrs Samira Bawumia, the Second Lady, who also doubles as the Ambassador of Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.