Mission Efficiency convenes Community of Practice in Ghana

By 2019, the African continent was the least energy efficient region in the world, and by 2021, all regions in the world except Africa and Eurasia saw an increase in energy efficiency investments. 

Mission Efficiency is creating a platform that will foster coordination and cooperation among energy efficiency stakeholders in Ghana to help change this trend. The Mission Efficiency Community of Practice in Ghana is an energy efficiency ecosystem supporting progress on policy, technology, finance, and services solutions that will drive a just and equitable energy transition.  

The Mission Efficiency Community of Practice held its very first Ghana meetup on 30 November 2022. It brought together various partners from the finance and energy efficiency communities, notably the Energy Commission, the SUNREF Programme, Ghana Standards Authority, United Nations Development Programme, GIZ, PFAN, IFC, Ghana National Cleaner Production Center, the Customs Unit of the Ghana Revenue Authority Association of Ghana Industries Energy Service Centre, among others. 

Ghana has achieved great progress in energy efficiency appliances, but there is a need for improvement in other sectors, especially buildings and transport. Aligned with the effort to drive energy efficiency improvements across sectors, Ghana’s Energy Commission is promoting Drive Electric Initiative and collaborating with Mission Efficiency. However, the Energy Commission stressed the need for support from donors in ensuring enforcement and awareness creation to encourage electric vehicle drive in the energy transition. 

The discussions were varied and touched on critical topics across sectors, such as green building certifications, energy efficiency in industry and harnessing ESCO potential. Similarly, participants shared various challenges for energy efficiency such as certification prices, need for testing facilities at a sub-regional level, especially for the additional 17 appliances that the Energy Commission plans to regulate, and lack of data to raise awareness on energy efficiency and attract investments.  

Participants engaged in a roundtable to find short, medium and long-term strategies for advancing energy efficiency in transport, buildings, appliances and industry. This discussion provided valuable inputs to all stakeholders on the direction and drive needed for improving energy efficiency in Ghana, and next steps in various sectors. 

Out of the meeting, SEforALL was able to connect Solar Taxi, Ghana’s first local EV company, and the Private Financing Advisory Network, as well as getting SUNREF support for the financing industries audited under the Energy Efficiency in Industries in Ghana project funded by Green Climate Fund. This provides opportunity for various industries to get funded for pursuing greener production.  

The Mission Efficiency Community of Practice aims to build on these initial conversations and linkages while also promoting innovation going forward. This will ensure increasing progress in Ghana achieving SDG7.3 on energy efficiency.