Hon George Kwame Aboagye
Asene/Manso/Akroso
Mr Speaker, I rise to make a Statement on electric cooking and promoting clean cooking solutions in Ghana.
Mr Speaker, energy drives all human activities, and world leaders have committed to sustainable clean energy for all. The use of electric appliances, also referred to as e-cooking devices presents a practical sustainable solution for achieving universal access to clean cooking facilities by 2030.
Over 3.8 million people, most of which are women and children, die prematurely in a year from illnesses attributed to the household energy pollution caused by the inefficient use of solid fuels and kerosene for cooking. Though there have been numerous advancements and progressive developments in e-cooking, the concept is yet to gain widespread popularity in Ghana. As per Boateng et al (2023), and Sarpong et al (2020), a meagre proportion of the population of Ghana, thus less than 2 per cent, employ e-cooking.
Mr Speaker, the International Energy Agency (IEA) reports that 2.6 billion individuals depend on solid biomass for their cooking needs despite its severe health consequences. Approximately, 87 per cent of households in Ghana still rely on solid fuels, such as biomass, as their primary cooking fuel. This exposes them to smoke and open fires. Smoke produced from indoor biomass cooking has been linked to acute respiratory illness, cataracts, heart disease and cancer, according to Ahmad et al., 2022; Balmes, 2015; and Leary et al., 2019. Exposure to smoke impacts over 20 million people, leading to over 4700 fatalities in children and more than 6,500 deaths each year. It also contributes to forest degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss (Bouniol et al., 2023; Guizar-Coutino et al.,2022).
Mr Speaker, e-cooking is a sustainable alternative for housing, and has the potential to address the issues associated with unclean fuel alternatives (Atela et al., 2021). According to research, electric cooking methods can be financially efficient and have positive impact on humans and the environment (C. Zhang et al. 2021).
When compared to wood-based cooking, it is evident that e-cooking equipment has a relatively low marginal cost of energy. E-cookers also offer higher efficiency and reduced energy expenditures (Batchelor 2020). Clean cooking has a positive impact on the climate, and Ghana's forests will be safeguard from further degradation and reduce black carbon emissions contributing to global climate change goals. Reducing indoor air pollution could prevent millions of premature deaths, particularly among women and children, and this will improve health massively.
Mr Speaker, the advancement of ecooking in Ghana is largely the responsibility of the Government in order to meet global objective of clean cooking by 2030. Several measures should be taken into consideration by the Government and policymakers to achieve this goal. They depend on shifting governance patterns, building new coalitions, public private actors, and integrating cooking into energy planning to accelerate e-cooking.
Incentives: Offering tax credits and subsidies could lower the cost of ecooking appliances for households, while also encouraging sustainable value for suppliers.
Enhancing accessibility: Improving accessibility to e-cooking in remote areas through off-grid solar power systems. Photovoltaic (PV) technologies are experiencing a significant decrease in cost, and can serve as a dual strategy to enhance the rate of rural electrification and increase the share of renewable energy within the generation mix.
Research and Development: Enhance the research and development of PVbased stoves to expedite their adoption and utilisation. Public Awareness: Promotes demand and supply channels by raising awareness through various channels, including educative programs and public campaigns. This will help individuals to make informed decisions about their cooking practices. On-bill Finance and Pay as You Go (PAYG) Models: Provide on-bill financing mechanisms that enable electricity service providers to sell appliances on credit to their existing customers. Alternatively, appliances with locking mechanisms can be implemented for PAYG business models to reach lower-income consumers.
Initiate small-scale renewable energy projects in Ghana, which can consist of solar and wind power generation, battery storage, and distribution systems.
Mr Speaker, in conclusion, e-cooking has the potential to significantly improve public health, reduce environmental degradation, and stimulate economic growth in Ghana. However, to achieve widespread adoption, it is essential to address challenges such as affordability, infrastructure and cultural practices. With the right government policies, financial mechanisms and public awareness efforts, e-cooking can be an effective solution to the cooking needs of the country and help to achieve the global goal of universal access to clean cooking by 2030.
Hon Michael Kwasi Aidoo
Oforikrom
Mr Speaker, I would want to take this opportunity to comment on the Statement ably made by the Hon Member.
E-cooking is an important field that we should look at today, as we all embrace the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially SDG 7, which is on affordable and clean energy. Quite interestingly, we have made inroads in supporting our rural areas to embrace ecooking by providing access to cleaner energy, but we have not been able to develop as fast as we can because of cost.
When I talk about cost, I am talking about the cost of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG). This is because there is little infrastructure; we have not developed so much infrastructure in LPG. Apart from this, we import almost all our LPG, about 90 per cent of our LPG, into the country, and there are factors such as forex that affects the price of LPG on our market. Based on this, it limits the patronage of LPG within our rural areas and it has then limited it to just the urban cities.
As urbanisation continues, what happens is that people who have higher incomes tend to use e-cooking and clean energies, but those in the rural areas are still limited to using biomass, like wood and other things, to cook. It is alarming that in Ghana, we still have about 80 per cent of our population using biomass. I believe if we support the cylinder recirculation module very well, where people will have access to LPG in our rural areas, this will support the quest for e-cooking.
Mr Speaker, I will also reiterate that the Ministry of Energy, which has become the Ministry of Energy and Green Transitions today, will support this cause by helping the private sector to be able to invest more infrastructure in providing affordable LPG for rural areas. Apart from that the Ministry should also put in place policies that will help to bring down the cost of pricing for our various energies within the country.
Mr Speaker, thank you very much.
Hon Kwame Twumasi Ampofo
Sene West
Mr Speaker, I thank you, and I would also like to thank the maker of the Statement.
Mr Speaker, like the maker of the Statement has said, for instance, if somebody is cooking with a bag of charcoal for about a week or a month and somebody is able to invent a coal pot that is able to help one use the same amount of charcoal to cook for about six months— It means that gradually we are—Instead of having to cut down and burn a lot of trees to get one bag of charcoal to be used in a month, we would not depend on that this time around, but are rather use it for six months. This is what we call energy transition. Gradually, when we pay attention to some of these things, we believe that the country would make a lot of exchanges and money when it comes to carbon credit.
When we want to talk of these green gases, we have to also ensure that all the Ministries responsible for some of these things come together to work. As it stands now, we have the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, which is a key stakeholder in making these things when it comes to carbon credit.
When we look at the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition and the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, all these ministries come together—
We believe that when we get a few of these sections of the policy or of people to work within the Ministries, it will also become very easy for people who have had knowledge in trying to transfer and help us transition gradually to the electronic cooking. I think it will help us as a country.
Mr Speaker, I am grateful for this opportunity and to thank the Hon Member as well for the making this Statement.
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