Promoting Technology Transfer and Deployment for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Ghana

The report identifies that while Ghana has a target of 10% renewable energy in its energy mix by 2020, progress is hindered by implementation and roll-out barriers, including weak domestic technical capacity, inadequate regulatory frameworks, and limited access to long-term finance. It suggests a combination of market-mandated policies, the use of the Clean Development Mechanism, and the establishment of innovation centres to accelerate technology adoption. The study estimates that removing these barriers with international support could avoid at least 14 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from renewable energy projects and 70,000 tonnes from energy efficiency activities.

• Ghana's Strategic National Energy Plan sets a target for renewable energy to constitute 10% of the country's energy generation mix by 2020, though the current share is less than 1%.
• Barriers to renewable energy and energy efficiency in Ghana primarily occur during the implementation and roll-out stages rather than the initiation phase.
• Implementation barriers include a lack of an all-inclusive electrification policy that distinguishes between rural electrification, grid extension, and off-grid programs, leading to redundancies where RE projects were installed in areas subsequently connected to the national grid.
• Regulatory deficiencies, such as the absence of network access rules and transparent pricing frameworks, discourage private investment in grid-connected renewable energy.
• Financial sustainability of off-grid projects has been compromised by inappropriately low customer tariffs that fail to recover operation and maintenance costs.
• Domestic financial institutions are reluctant to fund renewable energy and energy efficiency projects due to perceived risks, excessive collateral requirements, and short loan terms.
• Energy efficiency activities by the Energy Foundation have been geographically limited to Accra and a few regional capitals, failing to cover the country's industrial needs comprehensively.
• The study proposes the establishment of a two-tier innovation centre system, with a local centre at the University of Ghana and a regional centre under ECOWAS, to facilitate capacity building and technology transfer.
• To increase renewable energy share, the report recommends a combination of market-mandated policies (portfolio standards, quotas, feed-in tariffs), Public Benefit Funds, and the Clean Development Mechanism.
• With the removal of implementation barriers and the use of international support, Ghana could avoid at least 14 million tonnes of CO2 emissions from renewable energy projects and at least 70,000 tonnes from energy efficiency activities.

APA

Gboney, W. (2009). Promoting Technology Transfer and Deployment for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Ghana. Climate Strategies. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/isda-ghana-country-study-september-2009-report-2.pdf

Chicago

Gboney, William. Promoting Technology Transfer and Deployment for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Ghana. Climate Strategies, 2009. https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/isda-ghana-country-study-september-2009-report-2.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Gboney |first1=William |title=Promoting Technology Transfer and Deployment for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Ghana |publisher=Climate Strategies |date=September 2009 |url=https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/isda-ghana-country-study-september-2009-report-2.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{gboney2009promoting, author = {Gboney, William}, title = {{Promoting Technology Transfer and Deployment for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Ghana}}, institution = {Climate Strategies}, year = {2009}, month = sep, url = {https://climatestrategies.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/isda-ghana-country-study-september-2009-report-2.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }