Mr. Boakye Agyarko, the Minister of Energy, has stated government’s desire to ensure that Ghana develops legally and socially binding commitments to start the treatment of human excreta and other forms of waste by 2019 to boost the country’s energy needs.
Mr. Agyarko said this would address the country’s huge sanitation and health problems, as well as create thousands of sustainable jobs, clean energy and improve healthy agriculture practice across the country.
He made the call on Tuesday in a speech read on his behalf during the commissioning of the Safisana Waste to Energy Treatment Plant at Ashaiman in the Greater Accra Region.
The project is supported by the African Development Bank and the government of Netherlands.
He stated that such a decree must be supported with the needed investments from all related Ministries.
The Energy Minister announced that, his outfit would consider the allocation of at least 10 percent of financing facilities for rural electrification under the National Electrification Scheme to renewable energy-based mini-grids, and standalone solar home systems on islands, lakeside and sparsely populated communities nationwide.
He noted that, priority would be given to increasing local content and participation in the renewable energy sector, adding that waste-to-energy would also receive intervention in the National Renewable Energy Master Plan (NREMP), with massive boost through the legally binding commitment.
Mr. Agyarko gave the assurance that the government would continue with ongoing renewable energy projects by the previous administration particularly the 200,000 National Rooftop Solar Programme, the SECO funded mini-grids for the Ada-East District, and the AfDB off-grid project under GEDAP III, among others.
Also at the programme, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, said the treatment of human excreta must start with the provision of toilet facilities for all households as according to him, about 75 per cent of households resort to open defecation.
Prof Frimpong-Boateng said it was about time separation of waste policies were enforced to ensure that organic raw materials were made available for treatment.
He gave the assurance that he would push for segregation of waste at the seat of government, ministries, departments and agencies.
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
