Ghana transferred 11,733 tonnes of verified emission reductions to Switzerland on Tuesday (8 July), the Ghana Carbon Market Office said. Daniel Tutu Benefor of the CMO said Ghana is the first African country and only the second in the world to complete a transaction under Article 6.2, and he described the transfer as the largest in the world. Under Article 6.2 countries convert emissions cuts into Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) and trade them; buyer countries often provide investment, capacity building or technology in return.
The emissions came from the Transformative Cookstove Activity in Rural Ghana, a programme run by Envirofit and the ACT Group with support from the KliK Foundation. Envirofit says the programme has reached more than 180,000 households, cut fuel costs by over 50 per cent, reduced indoor air pollution, created nearly 300 jobs and supported sales through village savings groups.
Users gave practical examples: a mother near Tumu said the stove halved her charcoal spending and saved nearly two hours of cooking time each day; a school cook said ash and smoke no longer cause eye irritation or headaches. The CMO has received many project submissions and launched youth training to develop local skills.
Difficult words
- transfer — to move something from one place to anothertransferred
- emission — gas or particle released into the airemissions
- transaction — a business or legal exchange between two parties
- programme — planned set of activities to achieve goals
- household — people who live together in one homehouseholds
- reduce — make something smaller in amount or sizereduced
- capacity — ability or skill to do a particular task
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- How could reduced fuel costs affect daily life for families in rural areas?
- Would you support a national programme to buy and trade emissions? Why or why not?
- Why are youth training and local skills important for projects like the cookstove activity?
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