CITI FM in partnership with National Resource Governance Institute (NGRI) has held an interaction section with young reporters, and stakeholders in the energy sector.
Themed,“BUILDING MEDIA CAPACITY FOR EFFECTIVE ENERGY TRANSITION REPORTING”, the program sought to raise awareness on Energy Transition coverage and reportage in the media space.
Deputy Director of the Energy Ministry, Robert Sogbadzi, disclosed that, Energy Transition came as a result of the Paris Agreement on climate change to ensure access to affordable, reliable and sustainable modern energy for all.
According to him, Energy Transition is a long term initiative in continuation to Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, which will end in 2023.
However, he made mention of some opportunities that will benefit the Ghanaian economy.
“Ghana has the opportunity to install clean energy technology to have access to the green bond market, trade carbon credits as well as opportunities, based on economics, Ghana can safely transition in 2070 without going bankrupt, this is because by 2010, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will rise to $863.7billion with an average annual growth rate of 5%”, he said.
Speaking on the topic, Existing Policy, Legal and Regulatory Framework for Energy Transition, Clement Akapame, a law lecturer at GIMPA and Country Principal, Client Earth, declared that, there is no law governing the Climate change and Energy Transition.
According to him, climate change and energy transition falls under policy frameworks,this is because, with policies, it can be amended and corrected within the short possible time as compared to a law which would have to be reviewed and amended before it can be implemented.
“National Climate Change Policy (NCCP) is the mother policy in fighting climate change while the biggest institution in dealing with climate change is the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology Innovation (MESTI)”, he added.
The Commercial Operations Manager of Ghana National Gas Company, Dr. Riverson Oppong lamented that government, should consider the 3A’s (Availability, Accessibility and affordability) before implementing the Sustainable Development Goal and the Energy Transition.
He critiqued that, even though the development goal is available and accessible, most of the citizens would not be able to afford it due to the high cost it will come with.
He further stated that, energy penetration is still a challenge in Africa due to the failure to restore and maintain some of the resources.
He urged government and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to engage stakeholders on the need to make energy affordable, accessible and available for all.
