The Energy Commission has concluded a nationwide capacity-building programme for officers of the Local Government Service, aimed at strengthening the integration of energy efficiency requirements into Ghana's building permit and development control processes.

The final sensitisation workshop was held in Accra and brought together planning officers, works engineers, building inspectors and environmental health officers from Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).

Speaking at the event, the Deputy Executive Secretary of the Energy Commission, Chris Nanabanyin Yalley, described energy efficiency as a national development priority, noting that heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems account for about 50 per cent of electricity consumption in air-conditioned buildings.

He explained that the Commission's Building Energy Efficiency Guidelines provide three compliance pathways—Prescriptive, Performance-Based and Certification-Based—and disclosed that revisions have been proposed to the Local Government Service Operational Manual to incorporate these requirements into MMDA building permit processes.

Mr Yalley said the training programme, supported by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, has equipped participants to serve as Energy Efficiency Champions within their respective assemblies.

He added that the Energy Commission will continue to provide technical support and work with partner institutions to implement the reforms nationwide, expressing confidence that the measures could reduce energy consumption in buildings by 20 per cent over the next five years.

The workshop marked the conclusion of a series of regional training programmes designed to prepare MMDAs to implement new energy-efficient procedures in the country's building permitting system.