Ghana has been ranked the 12^th country in Sub Saharan Africa country between 2010 and 2020 with change in access to clean fuels and technologies, according to the World Bank.

Congo was 1^st, followed by Swaziland in 2^nd and Cote d’lvoire in the 3^rd position.

The 4^th, 5^th, 6^th, 7^th, 8^th, 9^th, 10^th and 11^th positions went to Nigeria, Kenya, Cape Verde, South Africa, Lesotho, Gabon, Togo and Namibia.

The Gambia, Malawi, Zambia and Senegal were the worst place countries in the region.

The World Bank said the pace with which the world is moving toward universal access to clean fuels and technologies must be accelerated.

“Continuation of a business-as-usual agenda is not possible: Clean cooking fuels must be made a top political priority, with targeted policies”, it added.

It further explained that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerability of people lacking access to clean fuels and technologies and highlighted the value of women’s unpaid work in the care economy.

“COVID-19 also affected the access of other vulnerable groups of people, such as refugees, to clean cooking fuels and technologies. The economic crisis caused by the pandemic will affect household fuel use, in some countries reversing the progress made.”

The World Bank however said the crisis provides an opportunity to set new priorities; innovate policies, institutions and businesses; and establish measures that guarantee universal clean cooking by 2030.

Globally, the number of people using some biogas for cooking reached 125 million in 2019, driven by national and regional bio-digestor programs in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Electricity is increasingly being used for cooking.

The World Bank added that achieving universal access to clean cooking would cost approximately $1.5 trillion over 10 years ($148–$156 billion a year).