Isser advocates reliable data on energy
The Director of the Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER), Prof. Felix Ankomah Asante, has advocated the compilation of reliable and credible data on energy in the country.
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He said such data would be useful in helping to find solutions to the nation’s energy challenges.
Prof. Asante said this at the launch of two reports on the State of Energy in the Ga East Municipality at a ceremony at Abokobi near Accra. The reports were the outcomes of a programme; Supporting sub-Saharan Africa's Municipalities with Sustainable Energy Transitions (SAMSET).
The SAMSET project
SAMSET is a four-year programme (2013-2017) funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Department for International Development (DFID) of the United Kingdom (UK) and is jointly run by the ISSER, University of Ghana, Uganda Martyrs University, the University of Cape Town, Sheffield University, University College of London, Sustainable Energy Africa (SEA) in South Africa and Gamos Ltd, United Kingdom (UK).
It supports sustainable energy initiatives in six municipalities in three African countries. The countries and municipalities are Ghana (Awutu Senya and the Ga East), Uganda (Kasese and Jinja) and South Africa (Cape Town and Polokwane).
The programme aims to improve transfer of knowledge through research and capacity-building efforts within the partner municipalities, all in a bid to enhance their efforts towards achieving sustainable energy transitions.
Two reports
Launching the two reports, Prof. Asante stated that the prevailing energy challenges in the country was a wake-up call on all stakeholders to explore and devise strategies to address the situation in the medium to long term.
He was hopeful that the reports would help bridge the data gap in energy in the Ga East Municipality and catalyse efforts the assembly was making to accelerate the processes towards sustainable energy transitions in the municipality.
The SAMSET Project Lead Coordinator at ISSER, Dr Simon Bawakyillenuo, underscored the significance of the reports and was hopeful that it would help bring up strategies aimed at addressing energy needs in the municipality.
Gratitude
The Acting Deputy Coordinating Director of the Ga East Municipality, Mr Laud Binka, who read a speech on behalf of the Ga East Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr John Kwao Sackey, expressed the assembly's appreciation for the programme and commended the research team and partners, particularly ISSER, for making Ga East Municipality one of only two municipalities in Ghana to have been chosen to participate in the programme.
Impact of reports
A member of the SAMSET team from the Ga East Municipality, who is also an Assistant Planning Officer of Ga East Municipal Assembly, Mr Alex Amoah, said the assembly had learnt a lot and would implement the lessons to ensure that the municipality moved from its reliance on outmoded means of energy generation to new approaches and strategies, particularly in the field of architecture.