Institutional Involvement and Collaboration in Disseminating Biogas Technology in Ghana

Abstract

Globally, biogas technology has been touted by academics, international organizations, United Nations, and pressure groups, among others, as an effective tool for protecting the planet against degradation. As such, stakeholders in the biogas technology sector have made some policy recommendations toward that goal. These include a global campaign in support of energy for sustainable development, climate financing by the international community, all countries adopting appropriate national strategies, innovative financial mechanisms, and encouraging private-sector participation in achieving the goal. Clearly, for countries to promote accessibility and create favorable perceptions on the adoption of biogas technology requires institutional involvement and collaboration. That is, institutions need to participate and contribute in terms of ideas and expertise as well as work together to ensure the dissemination and uptake of biogas technology in Ghana. This study is aimed at assessing the level of institutional involvement and collaboration and barriers to biogas technology dissemination in Ghana. A qualitative method was employed, and data were collected from 101 respondents through interviewing. The results indicated that the involvement of government and financial institutions in disseminating biogas technology was low, while biogas service providers showed moderate involvement. With regard to collaboration, it was revealed that institutions moderately collaborate in awareness creation but had low collaborations for promotion, monitoring, and evaluation. Furthermore, the lack of a national biogas policy, low government commitment towards biogas technology, and low financial support were key barriers to effective institutional involvement and collaboration in disseminating biogas technology in Ghana. It is recommended that the government shows a high commitment by providing the needed resources for dissemination activities and task the Ghana Energy Commission to formulate a national biogas policy to facilitate dissemination and adoption. Finally, a national biogas steering committee composed of all relevant stakeholders, including the Finance Minister or a representative from the Finance Ministry would create a good platform to help champion the dissemination of biogas technology in Ghana.