– Sweet sorghum fuels Ghana’s bioethanol initiative
– Indoor air pollution causes over 18,000 deaths annually in Ghana
– Eco-friendly fuels aim to curb deforestation and health risks
Ghana is advancing efforts to replace traditional cooking fuels with bioethanol, aiming to reduce indoor air pollution and deforestation. The country loses approximately 135,000 hectares of forest annually, much of it due to fuelwood extraction. Indoor air pollution is responsible for over 18,000 premature deaths each year.
A 2023 study by the Energy Commission estimated that Ghana could produce over 200 million litres of bioethanol annually from agro-waste, sufficient to supply clean fuel to nearly five million households.
The Ecolinks project, in collaboration with researchers and private sector actors, is cultivating sweet sorghum as a reliable raw material for bioethanol production. Successful agronomic trials have led to plans for constructing a dedicated bioethanol refinery.
ocial enterprises like Econexus Ventures Limited are also commercializing sustainable bioethanol fuel as an alternative clean cooking solution in Ghana and the subregion.
These initiatives aim to provide affordable, reliable, and clean-burning bioethanol fuels and stoves, transforming waste into climate-smart cooking solutions and promoting environmental sustainability.
