The Executive Director for Institute of Climate and Environmental Governance (ICEG), Mr. Hamza Shiabu Suhini, has called for the establishment of Energy Transition Authority to serve as information hub for the sustainability drive.
He pointed out that, protecting the environment is not just about environmental sustainability but also, it is economic development mechanism to empower the people.
Mr. Shiabu Suhini made call during an interview at Stakeholders Engagement on Energy Transition and Sustainability Delivery Architecture and Report Launch on Environmental and Climate Governance held in Accra.
He advocates for our Universities and Research Institute be engaged on how to holistically drive the sustainability agenda in the country in terms of protecting the environment, and at same time ensuring that so many sustainable jobs are thrown for the youth who are on the daily basis struggle to look for jobs as a result of the situation they find themselves.
“If we do not act swiftly, the unemployment levels in our country would continue to increase. Let’s take advantage of this sustainability drive to create jobs and that can be done if government takes the lead”.
He explained that, the creation of an Energy Transition Authority with needed resources to join the transitional agenda to bring all players in the industry to support the environment and most importantly, propelled the economic growth in parts of the country as well.
“Something needs to be done and it must be done urgently”.
He emphasized that, the call is not to downgrade the efforts of government when it comes to Energy Transition Frameworks calling on the government to ensure that, they give in the needed legal impetus by the establishment of the Energy Transitional Authority.
Mr. Suhini further re-emphasized that, it is not just about environmental sustainability but, it is also an important opportunity to develop the country and for government to see it as such and established as a matter of urgency, the Energy Transition Authority.
The Energy Transition Authority he added, would had the tendency of creating a financial framework through which development partners would be more than conformable to send down financing.
He explained further that, the whole issue about Energy Transition also has to do with climate finance.
” African Leaders daily call on the West to bring money in terms of our efforts of sustainability. But the reality is that, most of them do not have the framework to attract such finance. If we have Energy Transition Authority in Ghana, it will position you to be able to attract the needed fund to persue your climate agenda. Until that is done, our Development Partners, Private Institutions will be quite reluctant to put their funds in the consolidated fund that probably would go into areas that will not be able to account for at the end of the day “.
Mr. Hamza tasked the Media to take the lead role in terms of sensitization, educate the people and also demanding accountability from the policy makers and politicians.
” we want to see in the manifestoes of political parties what they have when it comes to sustainability and environmental protection. We need to know how they seeks to take advantage of this initiatives to propell growth and create jobs for our teeming youth out there “.
