SNV launches new clean cooking project in Ghana

SNV has launched the Strategic Support to the Clean Cooking Sector Project in Ghana, with support from the Government of the Netherlands through EnDev and in collaboration with the Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Fuels (GHACCO). The one and a half year project is aimed at working with key stakeholders to provide strategic support to strengthen GHACCO’s capacity as a civil society organisation (CSO) for catalysing the effective and sustainable growth of the clean cooking sector in the country.

On 7 April 2017, the official launch and project inception workshop was held in Accra. The event was attended by around 100 participants from relevant government ministries, departments and agencies as well as from academia, the donor community, NGOs, CSOs, the private sector and the media.

Mr. Wim van Nes, SNV Global Coordinator for Energy spoke at the launch. "Cooking looks simple but has implications for health, livelihoods, deforestation and climate change, among others", he said.

To ensure clean cooking in Ghana, Mr. van Nes reiterated the need to find sustainable home-grown solutions to address these issues. “We know the problem but we don’t have the solutions, otherwise it would have been easy”, he said. "I believe the only way it can work for Ghana is a market-based solution so people pay for what they use for clean cooking. We need to offer solutions by Ghana for Ghana and in Ghana”, Mr. Wim van Nes concluded.

The workshop also included a panel discussion around the topic of clean cooking, with the following organisations being represented – the Ministry of Energy, Ghana; Association of Oil Marketing Companies; LPG Operators Association of Ghana; Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Fuels (GHACCO); and the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Fuels (GACC). Furthermore, a presentation was given by Mr. Togobo of the Ministry of Energy.

The Daily Graphic - one of Ghana's main newspapers - dedicated an article to the launch.