The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation has announced that it is collaborating with domestic automobile assembly plants to increase the manufacture of electric vehicles.
According to the Ministry, the goal of the project is to limit the usage of carbon-emission automobiles and their impact on climate change.
Cynthia Asare-Bediako, Chief Director of the Ministry, stated this in an interview with JoyNews on the sidelines of the 9th Regional Conference of the Global Initiative for West, Central, and Southern Africa – GI WACAF in Accra.
The purpose of the conference is to discuss the region’s preparedness to deal with an oil spill.
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According to her “there are already engagements going on with the car manufacturing companies to also produce more of the electric cars so that we can move away from the fuel cars, and few has already been piloted. There is already a committee that has been put in place to facilitate this so we are working on it.
“With the recent change and reorganization of the educational system, we are also preparing students on how to either manufacture, maintain or deal with electric vehicles through the TVET and STEM projects.”
Call for Comprehensive Measures on Oil Spillage
Cynthia Asare-Bediako, the conference’s opening speaker, urged for more comprehensive steps to address the oil spilling situation.
“As it stands now, none of the renewable energy sources can replace petroleum. Hence, in the next foreseeable future, we would still have to depend largely on petroleum, especially oil and gas. For that matter, many African countries like Ghana may continue to explore for petroleum.”
“That is why it is very essential and noble objective to design a project that aims at seeking interventions to address possible oil spills and ensuring readiness and preparedness to respond to any such accidents.
Meanwhile, Anatole Cramer, the conference’s chairman and TotalEnergies’ Oil Spill Preparedness and Response Specialist, is optimistic that the biannual gathering will produce a workable document to address the menace.
“We have gathered a large panel of experts, with considerable individual expertise and an enormous collective wealth of international experience in all aspects of preparedness and response in line with the project’s philosophy to contribute to this.”
This year’s conference will assess progress made since the previous Regional Conference and stimulate discussions to establish strategic priorities for the next biennium (2023-2024). It will take place at the Labadi Beach Hotel from November 7 to 10.
SOURCE: myjoyonline
