4th Commencement Lecture held at UESD
The issue of clean energy came up as the topic for discussion at the fourth Commencement Lecture of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD) at Somanya in the Eastern Region.
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On the theme: “Towards net zero emissions: The role of clean energy in Africa,” the lecture marks the beginning of the academic year of the university.
At the beginning of every academic year, the university chooses one of the many issues on environment and sustainable development and invites specialists or experts in the area to bring attention to it and motivate all persons to work towards resolutions of issues.
At the lecture, the acting Director/ United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) National Focal Point, Climate Change Unit of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Dr Daniel Tutu Benefoh, stated that energy transition involved widespread impact of the global energy system.
He said the shift away from fossil fuel (85 per cent of primary energy consumption) toward a low–carbon system, shift from fossil–based systems of energy production and consumption including oil, natural gas and coal to renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, lithium –ion batteries were all part of energy transition.
Climate change context
Dr Benefoh noted with concern that sustainable energy transition in the sub-Saharan region promised to transform economies, improve living standards and ensure a brighter future for all, which meant providing clean and affordable energy to power industries, electrifying communities and fuelling innovation.
According to the energy expert, “we must mobilise substantial investments to address these challenges and realise the vision of sustainable energy transitions in Africa by 2030. He said the quantum of investments needed to facilitate this transition was staggering but must rise to the occasion.
He said the International Energy Agency estimated that an annual investment of approximately $30 billion was required in the sub-Saharan sub region to achieve universal energy access.
That investment he said would bridge the energy gap and create a ripple effect stimulating economic growth and opening new opportunities for the sub-Saharan Africa.
The Vice-Chancellor of UESD, Prof. Eric Nyarko Sampson, said in recent years, the international community has progressively recognised the urgent need to address the issue of climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Prof. Nyarko Sampson said the journey towards net zero emissions in Africa was an ambitious yet an achievable goal.
He said the continent’s rich renewable energy resources combined with strategic policy frameworks and international collaboration could pave the way for a sustainable and prosperous future.
He challenged the staff and students of UESD to let Honesty, Opportunity, Perseverance and Enterprising (HOPE) which were the core values of the university continue to inspire them to do things the “UESD way”.
A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, the guest of honour, lauded the university for the achievements over the few years of its establishment, and stressed the need to always make use of HOPE, the university’s core values in all the university’s activities.
The Chairman of UESD Council, Prof. Jonathan Narh Ayertey, stressed the need for collaboration between the university and the Environmental Protection Agency as well as other agencies of common interest to deliberate further on the theme.
