Ghana Drafts Framework To Regulate Electric Vehicles Industry

Ghana is in the process of drafting policy framework that would regulate the emerging electric vehicle industry in the West African nation.

The country’s electricity regulator, Energy Commission, is working on the technical regulations, while the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission, which is responsible for tariff setting, is expected to come up with effective tariff to be paid for charging electric vehicles.

The country’s Minister for Energy, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh told The Finder newspaper: “The draft, when completed, would be scrutinised after which it would submitted to Cabinet for approval.”

The use of electric vehicles, Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh said would offer enormous benefits for Ghanaians not only in terms of health, economic and social circumstances but more importantly environmentally, as the clean energy agenda drastically reduces carbon emissions, thereby clearing the way for significant climate progress.

Dr Opoku Prempeh was optimistic that the emerging electric vehicles would create job avenues for the teeming youth.

In 2019, Ghana’s electricity regulator, Energy Commission, launched the ‘Drive Electric Initiative’ as part of effort to promote the use of electric powered vehicles for the transportation needs of Ghanaians.

The move was in response to global push for electric vehicles as part of energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources to address climate change.

To this end, Ghana’s Southern electricity distribution company, ECG, in November 2020, collaborated with POBAD International, a wholly-owned Ghanaian technology firm, launched the EV charging system with a test run of an EV to officially add Ghana to the register of countries that are introducing the new technology in their transportation industry.

Managing Director of ECG, Kwame Agyeman-Budu, said his outfit had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with POBAD International Ltd to pilot the operations of EV charging system in strategic locations in Accra over the next three months.

Mr.Agyeman-Budu, whose speech was read for him by his Deputy, Ing. Jones Ofori Addo said the pilot would afford ECG the opportunity to carry out a thorough engineering and commercial studies into the effects of the EV charging system on EC’s electricity distribution networks, the energy consumptions rate of the different charging systems and any other issues.

Source:www.energynewsafrica.com