With everyday mobility and distribution of goods and services made possible through transportation, first-in-kind electric and gas-powered buses are set to be introduced soon for the transport services in the country.
The Ministry of Transport disclosed this at a stakeholders’ meeting on the National Energy Transition Plan at the National House of Chiefs at Manhyia in the Ashanti Region.
The Deputy Minister for Transport, Mr. Frederick Adom Obeng who disclosed this at the programme, said the ministry is currently developing a mobility policy to guide the deployment and scale-up of electric vehicles in the country.
According to him, the road transport services are focussed mainly on a technological shift away from the petrol and diesel fuels to a better alternative to reduce carbon emissions.
The forum, under the theme ‘Moving Ghana toward a Net-Zero Future’, was aimed at encouraging chiefs in the country to be advocates for creating awareness on the effects of human activities believed by some to be causing global warming.
The National Energy Transition Forum sought to, among other things, solicit stakeholders’ inputs toward the implementation of a harmonious national energy policy that is in sync with the Paris Accord, which aims at achieving net-zero carbon emissions.
According to the Deputy Minister, the transport sector is vital to a robust economy and key to ensuring social cohesion.
“The transport sector is vital to functioning of the Ghanaian economy and is key to ensuring social cohesion. This is because the distribution of goods and services across the country is made possible through transport,” he said.
Mr. Obeng also said depending on the technology adopted, there could be direct and indirect impacts on the natural environment.
“Our development is underpinned largely by the use of fossil fuels from power generations to our communities, and the majority of Ghanaians depend on the use of small to medium size vehicles using either petrol or diesel engines,” he added.
According to him, data available at the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Authority show that of 2.8 million registered vehicles in 2021, 72 percent were powered by petrol engines, 27 percent by diesel and less than one percent by LPG and other sources of energy.
He said this means government ought to have more campaigns on the need to move from using fossil fuel to more efficient energy sources.
The Deputy Minister for Transport finally revealed that most advanced countries have set a target to end the production of fossil fuel-based vehicles by 2030, in tandem with the goal of ensuring a net-zero carbon emissions. The plan’s objectives are to increase natural gas-based electricity generation, increase the share of modern renewable energy (wind, solar, small hydro, waste to energy etc.), and promote clean energy usage.
