Group picture of Participants & SYND Team
Story by: Ishmael Barfi
The Strategic Youth Network for Development (SYND) has held a capacity-building workshop on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency for Departmental Heads of the Asante Akim North Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region of Ghana.
The workshop under the theme; ‘Mainstreaming Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Interventions in the Assembly’s Implementation Plans’, was held in collaboration with the Energy Commission which assisted the NGO with educational materials and data required for the engagement.
Welcoming the participants on behalf of the Assembly, Mr. Francis Adu-Boateng, the Coordinating Director of the Asante Akyim North Municipal Assembly was grateful to SYND for the collaboration with the assembly to tackle and address issues of climate change, renewable energy, and energy efficiency.
He noted that the Assembly’s willingness to address climate change issues is clearly stated in its implementation plan.
Participants read through materials given at the workshop
He was of the view that we sometimes ignore the fact that energy usage needs to be used sustainably hence attention should be paid to energy efficiency.
He further emphasized that turning on the television, radio, and fans without using them are bad practices that should be avoided if we want to conserve energy in our offices and homes.
Also that one should ensure that gadgets are turned off if not in use because energy is expensive to generate and buy.
He anticipated that by the end of the workshop, attention will be turned to these issues, and plans on implementing, practicing, and educating the inhabitants on conserving energy, preserving the ecosystem and environmental sustainability can be implemented in partnership with SYND.
He therefore assured the Assembly’s unflinching support to implement projects on environmental sustainability and climate change.
Participants at the registration desk
A total of thirty-five (35) participants attended the workshop made up of 6 females and 29 males.
These included the Departmental Heads of various working units and some working staff of the Asante Akim Municipal Assembly.
Mr. Maxwell Beganim a member of the SYND Energy Team, made a presentation aimed at sensitizing the Departmental Heads on various International and national plans and policies that have a bearing on Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency.
The session focused on ways to include Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Interventions in the Assembly’s implementation plans. Topics of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), climate Adaptation and Mitigation, Ghana’s National Energy Transition Framework, and Ghana’s Renewable Energy Master Plan were covered.
Participants attentively listen at the workshop
The participants were allowed to share their views about their preference between a rented house with energy-efficient appliances at a higher cost and one without them at a lower cost.
The various opinions were that; paying more for energy-efficient appliances would ultimately reduce energy expenses, emphasizing long-term cost-saving benefits of energy-efficient appliances despite their expensive purchase price, concerns about the affordability of energy-efficient appliances for many people, and factors beyond energy efficiency such as access to basic amenities.
Mr. Beganim suggested that this feedback could inform the Assembly’s decisions on advocating for government subsidies for energy-efficient appliances and developing policies to promote their adoption.
Mr. Maxwell Beganim a member of the SYND Energy Team engages participants
During a session to demonstrate how to use cooking bags and distribute them, Ms. Priscilla Adogo Ahiada emphasized the importance of educational materials developed by the Energy Commission for public sensitization.
These materials covered topics such as Refrigerating Appliances, Standards and labeling, Certified appliances apps, and low-consumption domestic appliances.
In her closing remarks on behalf of SYND, Ms. Gifty Agbenyefia expressed gratitude to the Coordinating Director for providing the team with the opportunity to interact with the staff members at the municipal assembly.
She was hopeful that the knowledge gained from the workshop will be incorporated into their Medium Term Development Plan (MTDP) and Annual Action Plans.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
