By Cecil MENSAH
The wife of the sitting Vice president, Samira Bawumia, has been appointed a Global Alliance ambassador for clean cooking.
Ghana’s Second Lady joins the likes of the former United Nations (UN) Secretary General Kofi Annan, Academy award-winning actress Julia Roberts and Grammy nominated Ghanaian Reggae musician Rocky Dawuni to work with the alliance and its partners to raise awareness on household air pollution.
She is expected to encourage broader adoption of clean cooking solutions across developing countries, and for that matter Ghana.
She will be an ally for the work to improve health, empower women and protect the environment as well.
Speaking alongside the third Ghana renewable energy fair’s reception in honour of the Second Lady being made the ambassador for clean cooking in Accra, Mr. Kwesi Sarpong, the Regional Marketing Manager of Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, said nearly three billion people across the world rely on open fires and simple stoves that burn solid fuels like wood, animal dung and coal to cook food.
He says as a result, 4.3 million people die prematurely every year from illnesses attributed to household air pollution caused by cooking with solid fuel.
He added that up to 25 per cent of black carbon emissions come from burning solid fuels for household energy needs particularly in Africa.
He explained that in Ghana, eight out of ten people cook with solid fuels such as wood and charcoal which has led to impact health, gender equity and the environment.
He noted that emissions from cooking this way lead to nearly 20,000 premature deaths each year across the ten regions of Ghana.
Mrs. Bawumia on her part said she has seen the widespread impacts of cooking at first hand, especially among girls and women across the country.
“I look forward to using my voice and passion in helping the Global Alliance increase the use of cleaner cooking solutions and ensure that cooking no longer kills,” she assured.
