Dr Prince Hamid Armah (seated 2nd right) flanked by other dignitaries as they display hard copies of the newly developed roadmap
AS PART of efforts to ensure a sustainable future for the country, the Ministry of Works and Housing (MoWH), in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the UN-Habitat, has launched the Ghana Climate Action Roadmap for Building and Construction.
The roadmap is an initiative under the project, ‘Transforming the Built Environment Through Sustainable Materials’, and seeks to lower building emissions across the construction value chain in the country.
The main objective of the roadmap is to decarbonise the buildings and construction sector by 2050 and promote the use of low-carbon construction materials such as bamboo, and recycled materials such as plastics and glass.
With this, Ghana is poised to become a model for environmentally conscious development in the West African sub-region.
Speaking at the launch in Accra, Deputy Minister for MoWH, Dr. Prince Hamid Armah, said the project, initiated in November 2023, would transform the built environment through a sustainable materials programme, a bold effort to address the environmental impact of the built environment in the country.
“Today, as we launch the roadmap derived from this initiative, we reaffirm our commitment to building sustainable, resilient and healthy communities.
“As we all know, urbanisation and globalisation have significantly influenced discussions on human settlement and development worldwide and Ghana is no exception,” he said.
Accordingto him, a report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) showed that the building industry accounted for over a third of global energy-related carbon emissions.
Additionally, the industry was also responsible for 40% global energy consumption, 30% of raw material extraction, 12% of global water consumption and 20 % of waste generation.
“These statistics highlight the urgent need for us to mitigate the environmental impact of the construction industry,” he intimated.
“The roadmap we present today analyses strategic actions aimed at minimising the environmental footprint of the built environment through sustainable practices and materials.”
Dr. Armah further stated that the roadmap was not just a mere document but a blueprint for meaningful changes that sets clear goals and identifies priority areas for interventions with demonstration projects that signal government’s commitment to embedding sustainability into every phase of the building’s life cycle –from design through construction to maintenance.
Programme Management Officer at UN-Habitat, Joshua Maviti, said his outfit was committed to supporting member states to develop sustainable towns and cities that would help reduce emissions, adding that the adopted roadmap would be given priority in the Ghana Housing Property project which would soon be launched.
The Hub Director in charge of the Multi-Country Office of UNOPS, Ifeoma Charles, called for collaboration from all relevant agencies for efficient implementation of the newly developed roadmap.
“There is the need to collaborate with our sister agencies to ensure that the right materials are used to help lower building emissions across the construction value chain.
“Today’s occasion must reflect our shared commitment towards building a sustainable future for generations yet to be born,” she added.
BY Nii Adjei Mensahfio
