The National Energy Transition Committee has in the past few days engaged a number of targeted stakeholders at the Alisa Hotel in Accra in its bid to seek inputs towards the development of a National Energy Transition Plan. This follows regional public consultations in all the sixteen (16) regional capitals, after the Vice President, H.E Dr. Mahamadou Bawumia, launched the engagements in February this year at the Kempinski Gold Coast Hotel in Accra. Across board, whilst these stakeholders appreciated government’s efforts in dealing with the reality of energy transition, the general consensus was that this should be done in a sustainable manner in order not to put the country at a disadvantage. On Friday 3rd June, 2022, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in the energy space acknowledged that the recent push for accelerated energy transition by government has received significant support from global stakeholders, referring, among others, to the UK Government’s pledge not to support funding for oil and gas projects as well as its adoption of a policy to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030. This in their opinion should encourage government to be firm in its stance to transition it its own pace Monday 6th June 2022 was the turn of the diplomatic corps and donor agencies. The general consensus was that the transition pace and strategies that Government of Ghana has put in place would ensure that the country’s oil assets are not stranded. They appeared satisfied that the President’s declaration that, whilst Ghana and Africa will work towards reducing carbon emissions, there is a desirable basis for balance that ensures the sustainable development of the countries. The next day’s engagement with representatives of various religious groupings also established support for the government and a commitment to play an important role in the process by engaging in sensitization and dissemination of the message to their various constituents. The Ghana Upstream Chamber also entreated Ghana to pace cautiously in her attempt to transition to cleaner energy, and do so at her own pace, without succumbing to pressures from the west. These comments were made as part of the continuation of the stakeholder engagement on Wednesday 8th June 2022. The chamber underscored the essence of clean energy in our energy mix and cautioned the need for government to ensure that assets that relate to fossil fuel in Ghana are not stranded as well as relevant logistics are put in place to operate a clean energy system. The chamber underscored that Ghana now is not ready for electric vehicles to be used in mass quantities as there are only a few charging stations in the country and this would make electric car-drivers stranded. They added that government must ensure that all arrangements are made and have been practicalised before electric vehicles are used on a commercial scale. The commission has arranged to meet, Ghana IPPs Chamber, Service Providers & Vendors, Ghana Charcoal Producers & Firewood Dealers (GhaCCO), Market Women Associations, GUTA & Traders Associations, Parliamentarians, Judiciary and the Council of State in the next few days. These engagements have been chaired by Deputy Ministers from Energy Ministry namely, Hon. Dr. Mohammed Amin Adam, Hon. William Owuraku, Aidoo, Hon. Andrew Mercer as well as Hon. Frederick Obeng Adom and Hon. Alhassan Tampuli from the Transport ministry. The chairpersons for all these engagements, representing Energy and Transport Ministers, Hon. Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh and Hon. Kwaku Ofori Asiamah respectively, gave the assurance that the Ministry remains committed to pursuing targeted stakeholder engagements with other stakeholders such as the independent power producers, charcoal producers, just to mention a few, in the coming weeks. The stakeholders were further assured that their contributions and suggestions would be duly taken on board in the formulation of a draft National Energy Transition Plan for the attention of Cabinet. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Deputy Energy Minister, William Owuraku-Aidoo has confirmed that Ghana will transition at its own terms and time and not succumb to pressures from the International Community. The Deputy Minister made these known while having a stakeholder engagement with some OMCs on the National Energy Transition Plan. Speaking at the event, the Deputy Minister said "It is not like a time set for us to finish. We are going to transition on our own terms and it is not going to be the terms of most people in the world because our economic circumstances is a little different from the rest. He also mentioned that Ghana will be exploring its hydrocarbons. Mr. Owuraku-Aidoo, however, debunked claims that hydrocarbons are going to be abandoned. He said "At COP 26 as tye President made it quiet clear that Ghana is going to explore its hydrocarbons. We are not going to abandon our hydrocarbons. We need gas and oil to help us transition and the private sector as always will come up with their own funding to help us all transition. "Capacity will also ensue, that is an ongoing thing that the private and public sector are embarking on continually" The Deputy Energy Minister assured the OMCs that no assets will be abandoned. "They have used theirs to get to where they are so it is only fair that they also allow us" "Our carbon footprint is very tinny and notwithstanding and we are still taking steps to mitigate the little that we emit" "The mass transition, moving away from internal combustible engine to electric is another way" "We are introducing millions of cook stove that are very efficient to mitigate the amount of biomass that is taken out of the forest for cooking purposes" On his part, the Deputy Director Power (Nuclear), Dr. Robert Sogbadji called on all stakeholders to rally their support to the National Energy Transition Plan. He was confident that the views collated will help produce a meaningful National Energy Transition Plan. The Stakeholders pledged their unflinching commitment to the National Energy Transition Plan. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Deputy Minister for Transport, Frederick Obeng Adom has hinted that the introduction of electric cars in Ghana will ease traffic congestion and vehicular emissions. He made these known at a stakeholder engagement on National Energy Transition Plan in Accra. Speaking at the event, he said "Electric cars will reduce traffic situations and vehicular emissions on the roads" "2030 is the Parish Agreement and it did not force on net zero. It focuses on reducing your emissions to some levels but it was not meant to achieve net zero" He also hinted that Ghana is not under pressure or ambushed adding that it will rather handle things on its own terms and time. "You will notice that while some other countries are doing 2050 as target, we are looking at 2070" "The emissions we are going to make in Ghana are not going to be based on our current developments. Our emission levels are very low and we ahsve done things that will take us to net zero" The Ministry of Energy, in December 2021, formed the National Energy Transition Committee to prepare a National Energy Transition Plan for the energy sector. According to the Ministry, the plan and its implementation will not affect just the energy sector but will have implications on the everyday life of the citizens. On his part, the Deputy Director Power (Nuclear), Dr. Robert Sogbadji called on all stakeholders to rally their support to the National Energy Transition Plan. He was confident that the views collated will help produce a meaningful National Energy Transition Plan. The Stakeholders pledged their unflinching commitment to the National Energy Transition Plan. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Fod and Drugs Authority (FDA) in collaboration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WTP) of the United Nations and all stakeholders along the food chain have commemorated the 2022 World Food Safety Day (WFSD) in Ghana. The celebration was the theme; 'Safer food, better health'. In a communique sighted by Thinknewsonline.com, the Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Technical Operations Division, Dr. Akua O. Amartey said "The commemoration of this day is to encourage actions to prevent, detect and manage food borne illnesses that contribute negatively to human health, food security and economic prosperity" According to the WHO (2010), about 600 million cases of food borne diseases are recorded annually, with approximately 1 in 10 people being affected and billion of dollars lost in productivity due to unsafe foods in low and middle-income countries including Ghana. The FDA says it has over the years adopted various strategies and initiatives to promote food safety in Ghana . "Such as the introduction of the new Street Food Vending Permit for street food vendors. Innovative regulatory measures including market surveillance, licensing of food production and preparation premises and Public Education are employed by the FDA to ensure the safety of food consumed by the public. Below is a copy of the release: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye has revealed that five cases of monkeypox diseases have been recorded in the country. According to him, the cases were recorded in the Eastern Greater Accra and Western Regions respectively. Speaking to Journalists in Accra on Wednesday, he said "Five cases of monkeypox disease have been recorded in Ghana since May 24, 2022. We also detected 12 suspected cases of which are under investigations" Explaining further, he said "One of the cases was recorded in a Ghanaian who travelled from the United States of America to Ghana, so he might have picked it up from there.” It is emerging that the disease is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox. Europe, Australia and America have been tagged as hotspots for the monkeypox virus. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye is cautioning the general public to wear their nose mask as Covid-19 cases in the country surges. According to him, the surge is alarming hence the need to protect oneself. Address Journalists in Accra, he said " There is a rise in Covid-19 cases in the past few weeks. Most especially in Accra. We, therefore, have to wear our mask" The Director-General also added that although the wearing of the nose mask is no longer mandatory, he is calling on all not to let their guard down. "The recent outbreaks are in schools and workplaces" Currently Ghana's active cases of Covid-19 is 452,  which the omicron virus still dominates in Accra. He stressed that 3,470 samples have been taken, 773 cases confirmed of the H3N2 influenza in Ghana. Also, touching on the monkey pox, he said 12 suspected  cases tested, 5 cases confirmed positive. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor has cautioned Ghanaians not to pay any amount of money for seedlings to be planted on the Green Ghana Day, come June 10, 2022. He stressed that "the seedlings are not to be sold, they are for free, let no one lie to you and take your money. 20 million seedlings are being obtained for this year's planting" The Minister disclosed this during an interview on Peace fm's morning show "Kokrokoo" on Tuesday, 7th June, 2022, while announcing that this year's agenda is to first stop deforestation and secondly, pursue aggressive afforestation with a strategy to plant 10 million of the purported 20 million trees in degraded Forest Reserves. He noted that with the other 10 million, the Ministry has engaged a number of institutions to adopt compartments to be branded in their name for the planting to be done there. Hon. Jinapor was quick to add that it's however not too late for other institutions who want to be a part of this compartment adoption idea, to phone in and book for the needed arrangements to be done. "Schools are also involved and that is why we launched the *One-Student, One-Tree initiative* in Cape Coast last Friday. So we are hopeful that on June 10, all students will come out and plant their trees" He Continued. Calling on all to participate, the Sector Minister said "if this ambitious target of 20 million seedlings will be achieved, all Ghanaians would have to come on board to make it a sucess". The Minister further stated that the President will lead the trend to do the Presidential Commemorative Planting at the Efua Sutherland Children's Park, followed by the Vice President in the North, Traditional Leaders, Otumfuo, the Northern Chiefs, the Chief Imam, parliamentarians, the diplomatic corps among many other national leaders. He applauded Ex. President Mahama for accepting to plant on the slated date saying " this is a Ghana Project and Not a Party Project and that is why I am so Grateful to our Ex President, John Mahama who has agreed to plant with us on June 10" Speaking to issues relating to lands, Hon. Jinapor said he is disappointed about how matters on land are being handled in the country saying that "we cannot attempt to look at the issues of land from a partisan point of view as the Lands are for Ghana and not a particular party" Answering the question on why the Ministry has given out up to 40% of public lands to the Asantehene based on some news reports circulating, Hon. Jinapor explained that the land was not properly acquired by the state because compensation was not paid and this he described a "historical injustice" done to the Ashanti Kingdom as they are the pre-acquisition owners. He noted that the Past President's have not erred in the course of their work in Land administration, as a matter of fact, the work they did is what the Ministry is continuing. "So it's not as if we are cutting corners to give the lands out" He sighted examples of various lands that have been returned to the pre-acquisition owners through Executive Instruments (EI) and the rightful law processes. The Minister said he therefore has no justification to question their actions which was rightfully done based on the law and "Our only aim is to administer land matters with outmost transparency and integrity.  He concluded. Touching on the Mines Sector, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources said government is putting together appropriate policies and regulations in place to restore the waterbodies and forest cover in other to help improve the vegetation of the country. He maintained that the Gold Katcha machines are one of the main mechanisms to help encourage responsible Small Scale Mining adding that some extra 300 of the Mercury- Free technologies will be soon added and this he assured will be distributed to Regions, naming Ashanti, Western and Savannah as examples. Hon. Jinapor explained how the machines uses limited water and does not contain mercury which he said will not go down to destroy the the clean water bodies the country has left, adding that the mercury-free machine technologies recovery process is 90% free. According to the sector Minister, “I know a lot of people who have delve into legal small scale mining and have made it so other Ghanaians can emulate same to help us fight galamseyers together and this can not be done without your contributions.” He added. Story by: Nadia Aidoo

The Precious Minerals Marketing Company(PMMC) has donated an amount of GHC 20,000 as its modest contribution towards the reconstruction of the Appiatse Community. Speaking during the presentation, the Managing Director of PMMC, Mr. AKwasi Awuah commended the Appiatse Support Fund Committee for the prompt efforts to restore the livelihoods of the victims of the Appiatse explosion. He described the explosion at Appiatse as one that "no nation would want to experience" and hoped that their contributions will go a long way to restore the Appiatse Community to life. Receiving the donations on behalf of the Support Fund Committee, Rev.Dr Joyce Rosalind Aryee disclosed the plans of the  Appiatse Reconstruction and Implementation Teams to improve the conditions of the temporal structures erected to accommodate the victims. She said, "We intend to make the Community an environmentally friendly houses that will among others harvest rains and solar panels" . The Chairperson re-echoed  President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s call to have a model community that will serve as the template for building sustainable and eco-friendly communities in the country. Rev. Dr.  Aryee also used the platform to debunk media report that the Support Fund has run out of funds and added that the committee has been transparent and accountable in its dealings. Mrs. Antoinette Tsiboe-Darko, a member of the Committee also appreciated the donors and encouraged all others to come on board to contribute towards the rebuilding of the Appiatse township. She stressed that, " eventhough the contributions have slowed down, we are excited that we are still in the minds of people and you have come to support us reach our target". Meanwhile, Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee also used the occasion to commend highly  Minerals Development Fund (MDF) and Eagles Nest Foundation for donating an impressive GHC100,000 and GHC 2000  respectively. Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ministry of Energy has held a stakeholder engagement on National Energy Transition Plan in Accra. The stakeholder engagement brought together some Religious Leaders from the Christian and Muslim communities. Addressing the Religious Leaders, the Deputy Minister for Energy, William Owuraku-Aidoo said "The global advocacy for energy transition and decarbonisation has left many countries especially hydrocarbon dependent countries in limbo. So is our country Ghana and therefore we need to strategically plan to overcome the challenges imposed by the energy transition agenda and to move with the rest of the world towards cleaner energy. However, we will do this at our pace cognizant of the fact that we are not as resourced as the developed countries" He added that Ghana is a signatory to the Paris Agreement as well as other international protocols which require the country to achieve net zero carbon emission by 2050. "This is why it has become imperative for us to plan and strategise to steer our country towards a low carbon economy while ensuring economic growth." "The International Energy Agency in its Net Zero agenda by 2050 report provided the following key milestone; 2021 - No new Oil and Gas fields approved for development No new coal mine extensions, 2025 - No new sales of fossil boilers, 2030 - All new buildings are zero carbon ready, 60% of global car sales are electric, Phase out of unabated coal in developed economies" "2035 - All new appliances are best in class, 50% of heavy trucks are electric or low carbon fuels, No new Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) car sales, Overall net zero emission electricity in advanced economies, 2040 - 50% of existing buildings retrofitted to zero carbon levels, 50% of aviation fuel is low carbon, Net zero emission electricity reached globally, Phase out of unabated coal and oil power plants, 2045 - 50% of heating demand met by heat pumps, 2050 - 50% of existing buildings retrofitted to zero levels carbon, 90% of heavy industrial production is low emissions, 70% of global power production from solar or wind" The Deputy Minister hinted that the recent push for accelerated energy transition has received significant support from global stakeholders. He added that the UK Government has pledged not to support funding for oil and gas projects. "It has also adopted a policy to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars in the UK by 2030" Mr. Owuraku-Aidoo stressed that the US government has halted new oil and natural gas leases on public lands and waters, and began a thorough review of existing permits for fossil fuel development. "In 2019, the World Bank announced that it would stop financing upstream oil and gas projects. In November 2020, the European Investment Bank announced its policy to stop all fossil fuel lending including gas by the end of 2021" He said "A group of 457 investors, which oversees more than $41 trillion in assets combined have committed to net zero, and a coalition group of 79 company CEOs have called on the G7 — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and US — to work harder on reducing greenhouse emissions and cut funding for fossil fuels" In line with this, the Ministry of Energy in December 2021, formed the National Energy Transition Committee to prepare a national Energy Transition Plan for the energy sector. He added that such a plan and its implementation will not affect just the energy sector but will have implications on the everyday life of the citizens. "Consequently, it is imperative that at the onset of preparation of the plan, we engage stakeholders to solicit their inputs" On his part, the Deputy Director Power (Nuclear), Dr. Robert Sogbadji called on all stakeholders to rally their support to the National Energy Transition Plan. He was confident that the views collated will help produce a meaningful National Energy Transition Plan. The Stakeholders pledged their unflinching commitment to the National Energy Transition Plan. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

Globally acclaimed Ghanaian dancehall artiste Livingston Satekla known widely as Stonebwoy has thrown his weight behind the 2022 Green Ghana Project with a firm promise to campaign massively to galvanize nationwide support for the project. Stonebwoy made the affirmation during a meeting with the Minister, Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. In a statement, Stonebwoy taunted the Green Ghana agenda saying “the exercise is a call to save the environment from global warning”. The dancehall icon vowed to use his social media handles which has over thousands of followers to raise awareness about the Green Ghana project and generate interest. He said he has been a committed ambassador for the protection of the environment and will go every length and breathe to ensure that the government succeeds at restoring the country’s lost vegetative cover. Hon. Samuel A. Jinapor, the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources who welcomed the icons of complementing the efforts of government with his far reaching influence eulogize him for using his music to promote a good cause. Whiles describing Stonebwoy’s gesture as an outstanding show of patriotism, the Minister reminded Ghanaians that the bid to protect the environment is a ‘national undertaken’ which should openly and widely be welcomed. He urged Ghanaians to participate in the 2022 Green Ghana project and contribute to it’s success. The Lands Minister made the assertion that protecting the environment knows no political, religious or ethnic colorization and therefore should be patronized by all and sundry whiles explaining that the Green Ghana project is one of the policies designed by government to protect the country’s forest cover. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and the British High Commission have marked the Green Ghana Day and the Queen's Platinum Anniversary with a tree planting exercise at the Queen Elizabeth II Education Foundation in Accra. Addressing the gathering Hon. Benito Owusu-Bio, the Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources who represented the Sector Minister announced that "Just in three days from today, that is June 10, the whole  nation will be planting at least 20 million trees on that day and this will be lead by H. E the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo" He explained that the Green Ghana day is part of an aggressive reforestation/afforestation strategy of government to restore our lost forest cover and contribute to global efforts to fight climate change and it's adverse impacts on livelihoods. He urged all, expecially the students to actively participate in the tree planting exercise to build a sustainable future, adding that to inculcate in school children the culture of tree planting, growing and nurturing, the 2022 edition of the *One Student, One-Tree initiative* was launched at the Aggrey Memorial AME. Zion SHS, which is intended to be done annually. He also expressed appreciation on behalf of the Sector Minister to the British High Commissioner for the collaboration in celebrating the Queen's Platinum Anniversary together with a national tree planting exercise. He highly commended and thanked the school authorities for the opportunity to host such an important event in the school and hoped for a collaborative effort to protect the environment. The British High Commissioner, H.E Harriet Thompson, addressing the gathering said she is honoured to be a part of such a historic ocassion and expressed her outmost appreciation to the government and the Ministry for their tireless efforts in Greening Ghana. She encouraged all and sundry to be a part of the tree planting exercise while outlining a number of importance of trees to society and the environment. "Trees are precious to us, they help to keep this hot temperature down, it provides homes for nature and wild life and they also help to clean our water and help to clean our air and most importantly help stop climate change" She pointed out. She added that they are really looking forward to the joining the Ministry to Green Ghana together come June 10, 2022. The Administrator of the School, Mr. Ebenezer Nartey who welcomed the dignitaries, gave a history of the school and how it aquired the name of the Queen. Mr. Nartey thanked the Ministry and the British High Commission for choosing to honour the school with such an important and historic ocassion. He made a passionate appeal to the Ministry and the High commission to aid them rehabilitate the school and furnish them with some logistics. The school gained its name as Queen Elizabeth II Day Nursery Centre when The Queen of England, Queen Elizabeth II accompanied Ghana's  First President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah to pay a visit to the school on 11th November 1961. The name has currently been changed to Queen Elizabeth II Education Foundation and has also been transformed from Creche and Nursery to Basic 1 through to 9 levels. Below are some pictures: Story by: Joshua Kwabena Smith

The Ministry of Roads and Highways through the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has announced disruptions on the Tema Motorway, particularly for Accra-bound traffic, for the next two weeks. According to the Ministry, repair works have begun on the bridge on the Lakplakpla River. This is expected to cause disruptions to traffic flow from Tuesday, June 7 to Monday, June 20. “Motorists are kindly advised to adhere to the traffic diversion signs to be placed at designated sections of the motorway to facilitate free movement of traffic through the construction area,” a public announcement signed by Acting Chief Executive of GHA Ing. Christian Nti said. “We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused,” he added on Tuesday. Source: 3news.com