The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi has been engaged by the United Nations Development Organisation (UNIDO) to assist the Government of São Tomé and Príncipe (STP) to develop a low carbon emissions plan for the country’s Transport Sector.
The agreement, signed by Professor (Mrs.) Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice Chancellor of KNUST, and Atushi Isoyama a representative of UNIDO, enables experts at The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre of the College of Engineering, KNUST to work with various stakeholders in STP over ten (10) months. The assignment is jointly implemented with pManifold Ltd of India.
Following the signing of the agreement, a team at The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre and pManifold have been working with agencies of STP’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Natural Resources (MIRN), Ministry of Planning, Finance and Blue Economy (MPFEA) and other stakeholders to lay out an ambitious and yet realistic plan and pathway towards reduction in emissions from the transport sector.
The task includes among others, characterisation of the current fleet in STP, a review of current vehicle importation trends, fuel quality standards, vehicle-related policies, and infrastructure. As part of the agreement, two baseline studies will be produced, one on fuel economy and another on electric mobility. This will be followed by a roadmap for the adoption of measures for improved fuel economy and the uptake of electric mobility on the island. Fuel quality and emissions standards will also be developed as part of the task. The team will also provide training for key institutions and stakeholders in STP.
Provost of the College of Engineering, Professor Kwabena B. Nyarko expressed his delight at the opportunity for KNUST to share its rich expertise with other African nations. He disclosed that the College is currently supporting the Government of The Gambia in the development of engineering programmes at a newly founded University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET).
The Project at STP is led by Dr. Godwin Kafui Kwesi Ayetor, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, KNUST and a Fellow of The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre. Dr. Ayetor is one of Ghana's leading experts in e-mobility and transport. The team includes Dr. David Ato Quansah and Prof Joseph Oppong Akowuah, both Fellows of The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre.
As the world progresses towards carbon neutrality, the transport sectors in many countries are putting in place measures to assess and reduce their carbon footprint in line with national and global targets.
The technical assistance to STP is part of the Green Climate Fund (GCF) a funded programme titled “Building institutional capacity for a renewable energy and energy efficiency investment programme for São Tomé and Príncipe.”
In a related development, the Centre’s Fellows have recently provided expertise to the Energy Commission of Ghana in the preparation of the Ghana Electric Vehicles Baseline Survey Report under its Drive Electric Initiative (DEI-Gh) and also assisted the Ghana Standards Authority with the development of standards for electric vehicle charging systems in the country.
