As part of its NDCs, Ghana aims to reduce CO2 emissions from the transport sector through the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs). EVs are an increasingly popular and energy-efficient transportation technology, their widespread uptake to replace the Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) is now widely seen as inevitable. Recognizing these benefits, the Government of Ghana aims to transition to a net-zero emission transport sector by developing and implementing several policy measures and initiatives.
The Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana (EPA) has identified transport exhaust emissions as the single largest contributor to air pollution, with transport sector emissions totaling 7.2Mt CO2e in 2016. Road transport alone contributed to 11.11% of Ghana’s total CO2 emissions in 2016, with a cumulative growth of 59.9% since the year 2000. Meanwhile Ghana has a high electricity access rate, relatively to other countries in the region, of above 80%. According to the Ghana Energy Commission, it also has significant excess capacity in its power system estimated at 1,030 MW in 2021 which could be used to charge EVs.
Thus, the Ministry of Transport has, with assistance from the Climate Technology Centre and Network (CTCN) and UNEP Copenhagen Climate Center (UNEP-CCC), prepared a National e-Mobility Policy Framework and subsequently developed a National EV policy to provide policy direction for the uptake of electric vehicles in the country.
The NDC Action project has supported the Government of Ghana and the Ministry of Transport to attract the needed climate finance to deploy electric buses for public transportation in the city of Accra. The pre-feasibility study for the introduction of 100 electric buses and accompanying charging infrastructure has been completed with the support of the Basel Agency for Sustainable Energy (BASE).
In furtherance of the support, UNEP organized a three-day study visit from 29th September to 3rd October 2024 to Dakar, Senegal, in order for the Ministry of Transport of Ghana to learn from the experience of the Senegal’s e-Bus Rapid Transit system.
Given the similar development conditions and challenges faced by both countries, the work done in Dakar, provided an insightful example to inform the work planned in Ghana, offering a model to replicate for its own e-BRT system.
At the end of the visit, the Ghanaian officials and delegates highlighted how beneficial the technical tour was to help inform the design and implementation of their own e-BRT system.
The main focus areas and discussion points included the following:
- Low emissions development strategies and incentives to help catalyze the transition to electric buses
- Cross-sectoral coordination of the various stakeholders and operators for the e-BRT
- Governance, operations and coordination mechanisms
- Vehicle and charging Infrastructure standards and guidelines and success in their deployment
- Plan for the roll-out of e-Buses powered by new charging infrastructure
- Investment opportunities, financial costs and social benefits
- Potential partnerships and governance for delivery, both local and global
BASE and the local NTI are currently supporting the Ministry of Transport to establish a steering committee/policy working group which will guide the implementation of the National EV policy. The Ministry of Transport of Ghana is expected to continue to host the policy working group beyond the project and implement the recommendations of the pre-feasibility analysis conducted by BASE with technical support from the local National Technical Institution (NTI)-The Regional Centre for Energy and Environmental Sustainability (RCEES) at the University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana.
The technical tour was hosted by the Sustainable Urban Transport Executive Council (Conseil Executif des Transports Urbains durables (CETUD)) and the managers of the Dakar e-BRT. The Ghanian delegation also visited the Directorate of Environmental Regulation and Control (DREC), Road Safety Agency (ANASER), the World Bank group country office, and the European Investment Bank (EIB) who participated in the project design and financing respectively. The delegation included representatives from the NDC Action project, the team lead for e-mobility at the sustainable mobility unit of UNEP and BASE technical specialist.
