SUSTAINABLE COOLING FOR ALL IN GHANA

The report identifies significant cooling access gaps in Ghana, with 12.9 million people at high risk due to poverty and lack of electricity. It argues for a transition to sustainable cooling by integrating passive design, higher energy efficiency standards, and the phase-out of HFC refrigerants. Key focus areas include developing cold chains for agriculture and healthcare to reduce food loss and improve vaccine distribution, while addressing the urban heat island effect in cities like Accra and Kumasi.

• Approximately 12.9 million people in Ghana are at high risk due to a lack of access to cooling, comprising 4.17 million rural poor and 8.78 million urban poor who live below the international poverty line and lack electricity.
• Ghana's refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) sector is projected to see energy demand rise from 7.04 TWh in 2015 to 20.9 TWh by 2050, with greenhouse gas emissions increasing from 5.05 mT CO2eq to 12.8 mT CO2eq under a business-as-usual scenario.
• Urban heat island effects in cities such as Accra and Kumasi have caused temperatures to be nearly 5°C higher than surrounding rural areas, exacerbating heat stress for vulnerable populations in informal settlements.
• The agricultural sector faces significant food loss, with 3.2 million tons of food wasted annually in the supply chain; however, developing cold chain infrastructure for fruits and vegetables could generate up to USD 900 million in annual revenue.
• Ghana's healthcare cold chain is fractured, as evidenced by the availability of only 14 temperature-controlled vehicles nationwide in 2021, which hindered the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to rural areas.
• A vast majority of air conditioners in Ghana are inefficient, with 85 percent falling into the lowest energy efficiency category (1 star).
• Passive cooling strategies in Ghana can significantly reduce energy needs, potentially lowering cooling loads by up to 35 percent in office buildings and reducing energy use by 50 percent.
• Ghana has committed to the Kigali Amendment of the Montreal Protocol, aiming to phase out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) by 2024 and reduce their use to 80 percent of the baseline by 2045.
• To achieve sustainable cooling, the report recommends establishing a National Cooling Plan Committee (NCPC) to provide cross-ministerial coordination and oversight, as the committee proposed in the National Cooling Plan has not yet been established.
• Financial barriers to sustainable cooling include a reliance on cash-based purchases; the report suggests leveraging innovative instruments such as green bonds, blended finance, and 'cooling as a service' models.

APA

Lenartowicz, T., Hartley, B., Abrokwaa, M., & Dean, B. (n.d.). SUSTAINABLE COOLING FOR ALL IN GHANA. Sustainable Energy for All. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-12/SEforALL-Ghana-Cooling-Report-webversion.pdf

Chicago

Lenartowicz, Tilly, Ben Hartley, Michael Abrokwaa, and Brian Dean. SUSTAINABLE COOLING FOR ALL IN GHANA. Sustainable Energy for All, n.d. https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-12/SEforALL-Ghana-Cooling-Report-webversion.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Lenartowicz |first1=Tilly |last2=Hartley |first2=Ben |last3=Abrokwaa |first3=Michael |last4=Dean |first4=Brian |title=SUSTAINABLE COOLING FOR ALL IN GHANA |publisher=Sustainable Energy for All |url=https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-12/SEforALL-Ghana-Cooling-Report-webversion.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{lenartowiczndsustainable, author = {Lenartowicz, Tilly and Hartley, Ben and Abrokwaa, Michael and Dean, Brian}, title = {{SUSTAINABLE COOLING FOR ALL IN GHANA}}, institution = {Sustainable Energy for All}, url = {https://www.seforall.org/system/files/2024-12/SEforALL-Ghana-Cooling-Report-webversion.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }