The promotion of clean cook stove technologies has the potential to reduce Ghana’s contribution to global climate change, reduce loss of its natural forests, reduce carbon emissions, and enhance effective adaptation to climate change and social Development. More efficient cook stoves also reduce household expenditure on cooking fuel, resulting in significant savings at the household level.
The Government of Ghana has put in place measures to improve Renewable Energy Use and Climate Change Mitigation activities in recent years by playing the lead role in Renewable Energy and Clean Cook Stoves decision making. However, in spite of Government interventions, local realities point to the dire need to increase the interventions on clean cook stoves which is being supported by various local and international development partners. In recent years, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as well as the local private sector have played tremendous role for the promotion of Clean Cook Stoves in Ghana.
The main factors to be considered in scaling up the adoption of improved cookstoves nationwide are:
- Needs and preferences of users, i.e. ensuring that cookstove designs are based on needs and preferences of the users, shape, color, and size;
- Durability and performance of devices, i.e. the need to ensure quality control and standards;
- Access to finance, i.e. facilitating credit for SME manufacturers of cookstoves and ensuring affordability for majority household consumers, including consumer credit; and financing support for education programs by civil society.
- Stakeholder participation, i.e. ensuring active participation of the private sector, banks, communities, community-based organizations, government and NGOs;
- Public awareness, i.e. sustaining education, awareness and outreach activities to accelerate adoption; and
- Market-based program design and implementation, i.e. ensuring relevant investment and marketing partners are in place for commercialization and scaling up.
STRATEGY:
- To support the development of a thriving national market for clean cookstoves.
- To strengthen coordination, innovative ideas, influence policy and enhance information sharing among members, state and non-state actors.
- To create a platform for enhancing capacity development of members and promoting best practices in the cookstoves sector.
- To mobilize resources for actors in the sector to upscale the production and distribution of clean cookstoves.
- To create a collective voice for actors in the clean cookstoves sector in engaging with State and international partners on matters of common interest.
- Promote awareness and raise the profile of the sector’s positive work in Ghana at the international level
- Standardize issues in production, operations, implementation, technical requirements of products quality and services in the cookstoves sector.