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The Dutch Government is sponsoring Ghana Alliance for Clean Cookstoves and Fuels (GHACCO) to undertake a four-year (2016-2020) evidenced based advocacy programme at Ejisu-Juaben in the Ashanti Region.

The Clean Cooking and Fuels project is entitled: “Voice for Change (V4C) Partnership Programme.”

The V4C is being implemented by The Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) in collaboration with GHACCO which represents stakeholder platform catalysing the revolution and adoption of Clean Cooking Technologies and Fuels in Ghana.

The overall purpose of the project is to promote access to clean and affordable cooking stoves and fuel solutions for households and institutions in Ghana.

It is implemented in a way to ensure that clean cooking becomes a major impetus that focuses on improvement in climate change, environment and health through reduction on Household Air Pollution (HAP), which contributes to green-house gas emissions.

This was disclosed to the Ghana News Agency by Mr Raymond Kusorgbor, the National Co-ordinator of GHACCO after a two-day deliberations to help mitigate issues of unclean cooking and traditional open fire held at Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly.

It was attended by stakeholders and actors comprising chiefs, queen mothers and assemblymen as well as district planning and co-ordinating unit core management and development planning sub-committee members.

Mr Kusorgbor said the use of traditional cookstoves posed a number of health ricks including eye, throat, and respiratory diseases.

He said the improved cookstoves and LPG could create livelihoods for women and the youth, as well as promote economic development of the district while the promotion of product could open districts to donor support and partnerships in the areas of clean cooking, climate change, environmental protection and health, among others.

He said the reliance on traditional cookstoves encouraged deforestation and climate change and also detrimental to women and children in terms of health, time spent on wood collection, school attendance, among others.

Mr Kusorgbor gave the assurance that GHACCO was ready to assist Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to accelerate the awareness campaign in respect of the need to adopt and the benefits of improved clean cooking technologies and fuels like “cook bags, biogels, stoves and LPG, pellets and briquettes”.

He appealed to the assemblies to mainstream clean cooking into their medium term development plan since there were no district level programmes related to clean cooking activities.

He called on the assemblies to support clean cooking businesses by exempting improve cookstoves and LPG from the district level taxes or market tolls.

He said they must also develop awareness programmes to mitigate the effects of inefficient or traditional cooking methods; support clean cooking businesses by lobbying local financial institutions to lend to clean cooking businesses as well as establish a district level framework for the promotion of the product.

He appealed to the government to reduce import duties on components parts used in the manufacturing of improved cookstoves to increase production and affordability; reduce import duties on imported cookstoves to increase availability, variety and competition as well as the removal of VAT on cookstoves to improve affordability in the country.

Mr Paa Kwesi Simons, the Head of Planning at the Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly, expressed gratitude to SNV and GHACCO for the project with its enormous health, economic and environmental benefits.

He assured them of the readiness of the Assembly to support the clean cooking project for its reflection in the medium term development plan.

Nana Boafoaa II, the Queen Mother of Juaben, Mr Ansah Sasraku, the Presiding Member of the Assembly and Madam Lydia Nantwi, the Convener of Gender also highlighted on the benefits of clean cooking to women.

They expressed their commitment to support the project by helping to discuss the product at general assembly meeting for a resolution to be passed for its integration in their medium term development plan.