MMDAs urged to integrate renewable energy strategies in development plans

A day’s workshop has ended with a call on Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Greater Accra to integrate renewable energy strategies in their Medium-Term Development Plans.

This would assist the country in its efforts to achieve its renewable energy and Goal ‘7’ of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030.

The workshop was organised by the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) in collaboration with 350 Ghana Reducing our Carbon (G-ROC), a leading environmental grassroots organisation in Ghana affiliated to 350.org.

Desmond Appiah, the C40 City Advisor to the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive in a presentation, said Accra accounted for close to 20 percent of all the pollution in the country.

“This shows that one cannot be in Accra and think that pollution in another assembly area is not of his or her business,” he said.

Mr Appiah said; "Accra's 1.6 million population represents 42 percent of the total population of the Greater Accra Region. Accra waste contributes 44 per cent of emissions in 2015 followed by transportation with 30 per cent and stationary energy 25 per cent."

He said transportation was expected to take over from waste if care was not taken.

Mr. Appiah announced that the AMA was poised to release the city's first Climate Action Plan in October 2020.

Evelyn Addor, a representative of the 350 Ghana in her presentation, said integrating renewable energy into the action plans of the MMDAs would help them attract investment, create jobs, grow the economy and to mitigate the climate change in the municipalities.

The workshop was attended by development planners, works engineers and Assembly members from the AMA, Ashaiman Assembly, Ga West Assembly, Ayawaso West Assembly and Adenta Assembly.

They were urged to pay attention to local emission sources to help reduce the effect of climate change.