Support developing countries to meet net-zero targets – Dr. Opoku Prempeh urges developed nations

The Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh has urged developed countries to support developing countries to meet their net-zero targets.

He said the developed nations can do that when they redeem funding pledges they made to support developing countries towards the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

The Minister made the call when he addressed a high-level SDG Summit Action Weekend on the theme “From Billions to Trillions -Scaling-Up Energy Compacts to Deliver n SDG7” on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA on Sunday, September, 17, 2023.

Challenge
Dr. Opoku Prempeh said developing countries face the challenge of achieving the SDG7 target of providing clean and affordable energy by 2030, due to the intense financial commitment required. Most developing countries, he said heavily rely on wood fuel to meet their energy need and therefore argued that in the face of the global energy transition, this type of fuel, if not controlled will erode the little gains chopped these few years in the quest to combat climate change.

The Minister who is also the Member of Parliament for Manyia South said energy is the heartbeat of every economy, and it is important that Africa has enough of it to support its socio-economic development in order to enhance the welfare of the citizenry. “Our right to develop our energy resources for the benefit of our people must therefore be respected and with no interference,” he said.

He further stated: “We recognize that the electricity, cooking and transportation sectors are key areas in reducing GHG emissions. Consequently, steps must be taken to transition these sectors towards a net-zero emissions future.”

Transition
He continued, “To attain this, we must transition to the production and utilization of clean energy and the implementation of measures to mitigate any emissions that occur in the process.”

Dr. Opoku Prempeh said this will ensure that “we contribute our quota to the reduction of global GHG emissions, and more importantly, achieve decarbonization, energy access, security, and efficiency”

Clean cooking
The Ministry of Energy, the Minister said is also aggressively promoting clean cooking with focus on achieving 50% access to the use LPG as fuel and delivering 3 million improved efficient charcoal stoves by 2030. “We have rolled out a number of programs, notably, the LPG for Development, Cylinder Recirculation Model, and Carbon-for-Free Stoves program for the biomass sector” he remarked

The Manhyia South law maker used the opportunity to reiterate Ghana’s commitment to partner investors to explore new energy frontiers in order to support sustainable, environmentally-sound and gender responsive economic growth”