By Lydia Kukua Asamoah/Muniratu Adams Zanzeh, GNA
Accra, Nov 6, GNA - The seventh West African Clean Energy and Environment (WACEE) Trade Fair and conference geared towards exploring the various avenues of renewable energy development in West Africa opened on Wednesday in Accra.
The three-day conference, being organized by the Delegation of German Industry and Commence in Ghana (AHK) is on the theme: “WACEE goes greener”.
Participants from mainly the West African Sub-region and Europe attending the conference are discussing issues around Water, Energy and Circular Economy.
Also, an exhibition of water and energy saving products and services, clean energy solutions, innovative energy management and efficiency, from across West Africa and Europe were on display.
There was also other emerging business ideas in energy, water and circular sector on exhibition.
Organisers said the WACEE was aiming at becoming Africa’s first plastic-free Conference and trade show with the view to use more sustainable packaging materials, limit waste generation and maximize resource recovery.
Mr Seth Agbeve, Deputy Director in charge of Renewable Energy, Ministry of Energy, who represented the Sector Minister, Mr Peter John Amewu, said the three main areas being discussed at the conference were critical as they were intertwined and could lead to the sustainability of the energy market in Ghana and in West Africa.
He said with the impact of climate change being felt in various sectors of countries, and the years becoming warmer, efforts to reduce the human-induced activities, which had become the single largest contributor to the climate change phenomenon needed to be increased and well-coordinated.
He said a collective and strategic approach was required and therefore, the WACEE was providing the opportunity to continue to discuss issues of climate actions, which had been beleaguered with inconsistency and global leadership crisis, especially on the side of the leadership of USA that had decided to withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement.
“The decision by the leadership of the United States to withdraw from the Paris agreement should be an issue of concern to all of us. Even though this might not be a popular consensus of the people of the United States, it certainly has the propensity to impact water, energy and economies of emerging and vulnerable countries such as ours”, Mr Agbeve stated.
He however was optimistic that fora like WACEE, was a timely opportunity to continue the discussions on climate actions for especially, most vulnerable countries.
Mr Christoph Retzlaff, the German Ambassador, said energy and environment were quickly evolving sectors that were linked directly to a country’s growth and standard of living and so the WACEE had over the years tried to be at the forefront of clean energy, sustainable water management and circular economy promotion in West Africa, as a way of helping with the discourse and solutions of the sectors.
He expressed Germany’s commitment in helping the world address climate concerns and would always partner countries like Ghana who was ever-ready to seek the right partnerships in finding solutions to problems faced by the world.
He said Germany was also committed in phasing-out atomic energy and rely on renewable energy, adding that currently in his country, they were generating about 80 per cent of renewable energy which was quite an achievement.
According to Mr Retzlaff, Ghana was considered by more German companies as an interesting and emerging market for a successful business partnerships, with a lot of sun for the solar sector.
“The Delegation of German industry and commence in Ghana (AHK Ghana) through its competence Center Energy and Environment has shown great commitment in promoting these links”, he said.
GNA
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