Author: Beyonce Diamond Kpogli
Deputy Transport Minister Alhassan Tampoli, has assured that the government is committed to Ghana’s vehicle transition agenda to prioritise Electric Vehicles (EVs).
The transition, the Deputy minister said, will help to mitigate the negative impact of climate change, reduce health-related hazards, and avert the dumping of fossil fuel vehicles in the country.
He said “the government, under the Paris Climate Accord, has drafted a National Electric Vehicle Policy to solicit stakeholder input and enable the country to switch from the use of fossil fuel vehicles to EVs to restrain greenhouse gas emissions and global warming.”
The drafted policy, whose framework was developed in June 2022, is aimed at drawing up a comprehensive implementation plan and an investment strategy to ensure a seamless transition.
He was addressing a media stakeholder consultative forum in Accra on the drafted National Electric Vehicle Policy.
Mr. Tampoli underscored the need for Ghana to hasten its planned switch to safe electric-powered vehicles in its quest to attain the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 13, 11, and 7.
He noted that, as global automotive markets begin to phase out fossil-fuelled vehicles for electric ones, Ghana risks becoming a dumping site if synergetic efforts are not harnessed to switch to EVs.
Mr. Tampoli said, “The experts have said in clear and unambiguous terms that emissions from vehicles are not only bad for our planet, but they are also bad for our health.
….As the world moves away from fossil-fuelled vehicles to electric vehicles, Ghana must move with the times to ensure that our country does not become a convenient dumping ground for used fossil-fuelled vehicles,”.
Mr Tampoli also stressed that they will keep engaging Ghanaians on the new EV Policy saying he hopes the Policy gets the necessary support.
