Serwa Atiase Dzogbenuku, Technology and Transformation Partner at Deloitte, has urged businesses and individuals to adopt energy-efficient practices to help lower costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Speaking at a webinar on “Driving Energy Efficiency: How Measuring Performance Can Lower Costs and Reduce GHG Emissions in Buildings,” Ms. Dzogbenuku said Ghana has intentionally integrated energy efficiency into its national energy agenda. She explained that the country’s 2022 Energy Policy and Energy Transition Framework both emphasise the importance of managing energy demand alongside expanding electricity supply.
She noted that energy efficiency goes beyond electricity consumption, highlighting clean cooking programmes as an important part of the broader energy sector. According to her, cooking represents more than 60% of Ghana’s total final energy consumption, while traditional cookstoves contribute to excessive fuel use, environmental degradation, and health-related concerns.
Ms. Dzogbenuku said clean and improved cookstove initiatives currently being implemented nationwide are helping households cut fuelwood usage by up to 60%.
She stressed that energy efficiency should be regarded as essential infrastructure and given the same level of planning, financing, and policy enforcement as electricity generation and transmission projects.
According to her, despite uncertainties in the global energy market, stakeholders still have the ability to make deliberate choices that improve energy management and efficiency.
Also addressing participants at the webinar, Ing. Seth Mahu, Director of Renewable Energy and Green Transition at Ghana’s Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, said ongoing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have once again revealed the fragility of global energy systems.
He explained that volatile fuel prices, supply chain disruptions, and growing fiscal pressures continue to pose challenges for countries such as Ghana, particularly as climate impacts intensify.
Ing. Mahu stated that energy efficiency should be viewed not merely as a technical solution, but as a key economic, climate, and energy security strategy. He added that Ghana has already seen positive results from energy efficiency initiatives and should now elevate them as a major component of the country’s energy transition plans, especially within the built environment.