The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has expressed its readiness to build strong partnerships with relevant stakeholders to help firms in the country’s chemical industries reduce their carbon emissions for sustainable growth.
Seth Twum Akwaboah, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of AGI, while speaking at a training programme on green gas reduction for chemical industries in Accra, said it is high time the industry took issues on sustainable development seriously. “We need to brace ourselves to understand the challenges and opportunities to be able to take advantage and comply with sustainable development because it may have an effect on our businesses,” he said.
The AGI is therefore, encouraging its members to adopt renewables, which are a more efficient and cleaner source of energy in their operations to minimise impacts on the environment.
The three-day workshop sought to equip firms in the country’s chemical industries to reduce their carbon emissions. It was designed to further enhance the sustainability efforts of participating companies by providing them with actionable insights, tools, and techniques to effectively identify and reduce their carbon footprint.
Participants were from 22 companies, including FC Cosmetics, Benso Oil Palm Plantation, Polytank Ghana, and Tobinco Pharmaceutical Limited (TPL). It is under the Climate Action Programme for the Chemical Industry (CAPCI) which is being implemented in Ghana by the German Development Agency (GIZ) and Environmental Protect Agency (EPA), in partnership with the Association of Ghana Industries.
Mr Akwaboah noted that clean energy sources such as solar, biomass and wind are fast becoming sources for delivering sustainable energy supply because of their efficiency, environmental friendliness, and cost-effectiveness.
Deliberate Steps to Ensure That Industries Adopt Renewables
Mr Akwaboah indicated that the Association is taking deliberate steps to ensure that industries adopt renewables to reduce the cost of production and protect the environment. “We think the environment is key to the survival of businesses and human beings and so over the years, we have been implementing a lot of programmes that support the environment,” he added.
Toward that, Mr Akwaboah disclosed that the association has established an energy centre dubbed AGI-Energy Service Centre to educate members on energy efficiency and renewable. He stated that the adoption of renewable energy in the country is still low and for that reason, measures need to be put in place to increase the usage. The CEO, meanwhile, commended GIZ for its continued support for the AGI in sustainable development.
The Technical Advisor in charge of CAPCI at GIZ, George Johnson, explained that the project is aimed to strengthen the capacities of key actors for effective climate protection in the chemical industry, thereby enabling them to tap GHG mitigation potentials in chemical production and use, as well as in associated value chains.
“CAPCI is closely linked with the International Sustainable Chemistry Collaborative Centre (ISC3), and is implemented in cooperation with the International Council of Chemical Associations (ICCA) and the capacity-building network of the United Nations Climate Secretariat.”
George Johnson
George Johnson also indicated that Ghana is one of three focus countries of the global CAPCI project, together with Argentina and Thailand. He said CAPCI in Ghana is being implemented by the GIZ’s Sustainable Energy and Climate Cluster as an implementing partner. “The project was aimed at enabling key actors in selected developing countries and emerging economies to identify and tap mitigation potentials in chemical production, use and associated value chains,” the advisor added.
