An environmental NGO, Ghana Reducing our Carbon-350 (350-GROC) in partnership with the School of Energy at the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) has held a renewable workshop to promote Ghana’s target to achieve a 10% renewable energy mix by 2030.
The workshop held at the UENR campus in Sunyani on the theme “Social Innovation in the Energy Transition: People-centered Participation” rallied tertiary students for a just transition.
The National Coordinator of the 350 Ghana Reducing Our Carbon (350 G-ROC), Mrs Portia Adu Mensah, in her address encouraged students to use their social media platforms to advocate renewable energy stating that “you need to be agents of change; use your social media, especially Twitter as a tool to campaign for renewable energy, so the leaders would know how much the youth is engaged in these activities.”
The Dean of the School of Energy and the Deputy Direct of RCEES, Prof Samuel Gyamfi, stated that “if we continue to use fossil fuels then there will be a time the world will not be suitable for us to live. Also, a just transition in our energy sector will lead to a reduction in carbon dioxide, an increase in greener jobs, and a reduction in poverty.”
A Research Fellow at the Regional Centre for Energy Environmental Sustainability (RCESS) Dr Gifty Serwaa Mensah reiterated the need for a just transition in Ghana’s energy systems, stating that “the campaign on renewable energy for tertiary was directed towards involving students in the global climate fight and how they can contribute to achieving 10% Renewable Energy in Ghana by 2030.”
The workshop focused on raising renewable energy champions in various tertiary institutions to amplify their voices on the effects of climate change.