Ghana targets net-zero emissions by 2060, instead of 2070

The Ghanaian government has unveiled the Ghana Energy Transition and Investment Plan, targeting net zero by 2060 instead of the previous goal of 2070. It details a pathway for how Ghana can achieve net-zero energy-related carbon emissions by 2060 through the deployment of low-carbon solutions across key sectors of its economy, relying on four key decarbonisation technologies: renewables, low-carbon hydrogen, battery electric vehicles, and clean cookstoves, which are expected to contribute to over 90% of the emissions reduction by 2060.

Without pursuing the plan, under a business-as-usual scenario, Ghana's emissions are expected to rise from 28 Mt CO_2eq in 2021 to over 140 Mt in 2050 (+5.7%/year), with the bulk of emissions growth coming from transport, driven by population growth, GDP per capita growth, and vehicle ownership.

In its updated NDC, Ghana aims to implement 34 mitigation measures to achieve absolute emission reductions of 64 MtCO_2eq by 2030. Out of them, 9 unconditional measures are expected to lead to an emission reduction of 24.6 MtCO₂e. The country’s contribution did not include a value for the 2030 target year.