By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Parliament is set to take a leading role in Ghana’s renewable energy transition push, with plans to install solar panels within Parliament’s precincts. The plan to go solar, according to authorities, forms part of broader efforts to promote clean energy adoption across the country.
The initiative is expected to demonstrate Parliament’s commitment to sustainable energy while encouraging constituencies nationwide to embrace renewable energy solutions.
The Chairman of Parliament’s Committee on Environment, Science and Technology, Mr. Yaw Addo Frimpong, announced the plan while speaking at the Ghana Green Investment Dialogue in Accra. He has thus called for a shift from awareness creation, to concrete action in addressing the country’s energy challenges.
“There has been enough awareness created about renewable energy and sustainability. The time has come for practical action,” Mr. Frimpong said.
He explained that Parliament was prepared to support the passage of laws and regulations needed to create a favourable environment for renewable energy investments, particularly constituency-based energy projects.
Mr. Frimpong stressed the need for collaboration among government ministries, investors, financial institutions, and energy providers to scale up renewable energy infrastructure across the country.
Citing Zambia’s experience during its energy crisis, he noted that legislators there were allowed to use constituency development funds to invest in alternative energy solutions at the community level, helping to ease pressure on the national power supply.
“If such initiatives had been implemented earlier in Ghana, the impact of some of our past energy crises could have been reduced,” he said.
Mr. Frimpong further called for similar constituency-level renewable energy interventions in Ghana, saying they could improve energy security, create jobs, and support sustainable development.
The dialogue, organised by the Climate Parliament in partnership with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and the Parliament of Ghana, brought together policymakers, legislators, investors, financial institutions, and development partners to explore ways of mobilising green investment and climate finance.
