GHACCO and BUSAC embark on 'Advocacy on the Review and Adoption of Ghana’s Bioenergy Policy' Program

The Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves (GHACCO) in collaboration with Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC) on Thursday, October 10, 2019 embarked on a one-day sensitization workshop in Kumasi.

The Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Fuels (GHACCO) won a grant from the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge Fund (BUSAC) to conduct an advocacy on the Bioenergy Policy in Ghana. The BUSAC fund is a multi-donor platform to enhance the business environment of private sector actors through advocacy and capacity building with support from Danida, European Union and Government of Ghana.

With lot of farmers and food vendors still ignorant about the dangers involved in embracing the use of charcoal and firewood for cooking, GHACCO deemed it an opportunity to educate stakeholders to proclaim on the need for people to embrace cookstoves. It was the second seminar held within the week by GHACCO after educating participants in the Greater Accra Region on Tuesday, October 8 at Madina.

The program themed; “Advocacy on the Review and Adoption of Ghana’s BioEnergy Policy” was directed to train the public on the risk involved in using firewood and charcoal for cooking which includes increased incidence of heart and respiratory diseases like asthma and lung cancer.

According to report, fine invisible coal dust particles less than 2.5 microns long lodge in the lungs and are not naturally expelled, so long-term exposure increase the risk of health problems.

Mr. Mohammed Aminu Lukumanu, the Chief Executive Officer of GHACCO spoke on the necessity to change the approach of cooking in homes, i.e. switching from firewood and charcoal to a more clearer and efficient technology, that is the adoption of the Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) method.

“LPG has no smoke so users are always safe from that risk of household air pollution,” he said.

“We are losing our forest three to four percent annually in terms of cutting it for firewood and charcoal product. As a result of that, we are experiencing a climate change in Ghana but that does not mean you should not use firewood or charcoal without giving alternatives. Therefore, we are giving them that households can adopts,” he added.

Mr. Aminu further referenced the hazard in using the traditional three stone stove, clay stove and the car rame. He addressed that the inefficient heat from these methods causes the use of additional firewood for the course, which also upsets the health of the user and degrade the environment through pollution. He encouraged the use of ‘Gya Pa’ coal pot and a few other stoves purposely built to cut down the use of firewood by 30 to 40 percent.

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“Our message to the world is to make adjustment in the way we cook. If a pregnant woman inhale the smoke whiles cooking with charcoal or firewood, she easily can experience miscarriage and asthma. If we are able to spread the message and teach the people on the risk involved, we believe they will accept it,” he said.

“We have a target that by 2013, about half of Ghanaian household will use the LPG and the remaining 50 percent will use solid fuels,” he said.

Mr. Seidu, the CEO of Montas Engineering, producers of cooking stove encouraged local manufacturers to put in much effort and construct better cookers in order to prevent operators from harm and encourage them to invest in locally made ones.