By: Razak Baba
The Chief Justice (CJ), Kwasi Anin-Yeboah has called for a national policy for the installation of solar plants in all high, circuit and district court premises in the country, to enable the Judiciary to make optimal use of the sun for uninterrupted power supply.
He says advancement in technology has pushed the Judiciary to identify alternative means of power that would facilitate and maintain country-wide inter-connectivity for effective application of technology in the justice delivery system.
Justice Anin-Yeboah made the call at a stakeholder engagement between the Energy Ministry and the Judiciary in Kumasi on the National Energy Transition Plan.
Like the citizens of most developing countries, Ghanaians are increasingly affected by climate change despite bearing little responsibility for the emissions that have caused it. At the global climate conference last year, governments reaffirmed their commitment to the goal of limiting global warming.
Achieving this will require a shift away from crude oil to renewable energy sources like wind and solar. It is in this respect that the government launched the National Energy Transition Committee last year.
The committee is tasked with developing a national programme on steps the country can take to successfully shift from solely relying on crude oil to renewable energy sources.
Since its establishment, the National Energy Transition Committee under the auspices of the Ministries of Energy and Transport has been conducting a nationwide consultation in order to make the National Energy Transition Plan inclusive. Among its stakeholders is the Judiciary.
The Kumasi meeting was the second of the two planned engagements with the Judicial Service and was attended by the Judiciary and staff of the Judicial Service from the northern sector of the country.
The Deputy Transport Minister, Alhassan Tampuli said Ghana needs to reform the way it generates and uses energy to power the various sectors of the economy.
Deputy Energy Minister, Mr. Andrew Egyapa Mercer said the Ministry is committed to promoting liquefied petroleum gas, LPG as a healthier and safer fuel to reduce deforestation.
The Chief Justice, Kwasi Anin-Yeboah urged the Energy Ministry to take into account the various concerns, input, and recommendations made as it engages stakeholders in the quest to promote cleaner energy resources.