A Toolkit for Just Transitions to a Low-Carbon Economy in Ghana’s Transport Sector

The document outlines a framework for transitioning Ghana's transport sector—which accounts for approximately 22.6% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions—to a low-carbon model while ensuring social equity. It emphasizes the need for participatory planning, awareness-raising, and the development of a socially inclusive vision to protect vulnerable workers, particularly those in the informal sector. The toolkit proposes a transition timeline from 2022 to 2070, aiming for all road and rail mobility to be electricity and hydrogen-fuelled by 2070. It also identifies significant financing gaps, noting that an estimated USD 22.6 billion is needed for 31 climate actions, and recommends inter-ministerial coordination and public-private partnerships to secure funding for both technical infrastructure and social support measures.

• The transport sector is a critical target for climate mitigation in Ghana, as it was the second largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in 2019, accounting for 22.6% of the total.
• Ghana's transport sector is characterized by high levels of informal employment and a heavy reliance on older, fossil-fuel-dependent vehicles, with an estimated 85% of Africa's road fleet consisting of used or older vehicles.
• Air pollution from the transport and power sectors has a severe economic and health impact, with the annual nationwide cost of air pollution in Ghana estimated at USD 2.5 billion, or approximately 4.2% of the country's GDP.
• The Ghanaian government has established a long-term transition target (2022-2070) where all road and rail mobilities are expected to be electricity and hydrogen-fuelled by 2070.
• A survey of 180 commercial drivers in the Greater Accra Region indicated that the most supported measures for controlling emissions are providing incentives for low-emission vehicles and considering alternative fuel sources.
• There is a significant lack of awareness regarding just transition concepts among informal workers; 80% of sampled informal sector workers were unfamiliar with the term.
• Ghana faces a substantial funding gap for climate actions, with an estimated USD 22.6 billion required for 31 actions, of which USD 16.3 billion is expected from international donors.
• Specific infrastructure costs for the transition include an estimated USD 7 billion for electric charging points and USD 570 million for infrastructure to support two million compressed natural gas (CNG) cars by 2060.
• The document recommends the creation of an inter-ministerial committee to integrate just transition objectives across government policy and to communicate funding needs to international partners.

APA

Anaman, K. A., & Anartey, P. (2023). A Toolkit for Just Transitions to a Low-Carbon Economy in Ghana’s Transport Sector. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CS_S2S_Toolkit-Ghana_DEF.pdf

Chicago

Anaman, Kwabena Asomanin, and Paul Anartey. A Toolkit for Just Transitions to a Low-Carbon Economy in Ghana’s Transport Sector. Climate Strategies, 2023. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CS_S2S_Toolkit-Ghana_DEF.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Anaman |first1=Kwabena Asomanin |last2=Anartey |first2=Paul |title=A Toolkit for Just Transitions to a Low-Carbon Economy in Ghana’s Transport Sector |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=2023 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CS_S2S_Toolkit-Ghana_DEF.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{anaman2023toolkit, author = {Anaman, Kwabena Asomanin and Anartey, Paul}, title = {{A Toolkit for Just Transitions to a Low-Carbon Economy in Ghana’s Transport Sector}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2023}, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/CS_S2S_Toolkit-Ghana_DEF.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }