Ghana to end domestic use of charcoal, approves roll-out of Cylinder Recirculation Model

By Nneka Nwogwugwu

Ghana Cabinet has given approval for the rollout of the cylinder recirculation model which aims to cut by half the use of charcoal for domestic activities by the populace.

There have been initial attempts by the national petroleum authority to introduce the model last year were met with protests and strikes by the association of LGP marketers. They indicated its implementation will lead to job losses, Joy Online reports.

But a swearing ceremony for the newly constituted governing board of the Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing Company (GCMC), Energy Minister, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh, charged the company to ensure scale-up of production of gas cylinders to meet likely demands with the rolling out of the module.

The Ghana Cylinder Manufacturing company was set up to promote the wider usage of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) as a substitute for charcoal and firewood and thereby curtail some of Ghana’s environmental challenges of degradation, deforestation and desertification caused by the use of firewood.

Prempeh said, ‘Ghana been part of the sustainable development goal and the climate change agenda and there is the need to restore our environment and it is in the light that cabinet has approved the cylinder recirculation module to promote this work and ensure that 50 per cent of the country will use gas instead of charcoal.

‘We do not want to flood the country with imported cylinders and we believe GCMC has the ability not only to supply cylinders to the country but even export to neighbouring countries.’

The tussle between the board and management of the Cylinder Manufacturing Company in 2019 led to the dissolution of the board by Finance Minister after their disagreements affected the payment of salary to workers.

The Energy Minister Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh charged the new board to work towards turning the fortunes of the company around.