Abstract:
Governments of Ghana have endeavored over the years to promote the use of cleaner energy and stoves for domestic use, but about 70% of Ghanaian households still rely on biomass fuel for their main household energy sources. This, therefore, makes the adoption and use of improved cook stoves (ICSs) important to curtail the adverse health, economic and environmental effects associated with using biomass fuel and traditional cook stoves. The aim of the study was to assess the status of adoption and frequency of use of the energy efficient improved cook stoves in Kwabenya. The study also sought to identify potential barriers to the uptake of the ICSs in urban areas. The study employed the mixed method approach and sampled 350 households from a population of 1965 households for the quantitative interviews. The Energy Commission (EC) of Ghana and producers of ICSs were also interviewed for the qualitative data. Findings from the study indicated that 41.2% of households interviewed had adopted the improved cook stoves. Among the adopters, 50.4% used their technological stoves frequently. The findings also revealed the majority of households in Kwabenya practiced energy stacking even though Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) was the main (69.8%) source of cooking fuel in the area. Perceived benefits, ownership of a separate kitchen room and household member more responsible for cooking food were factors that influenced the frequency of use of the improved cook stoves among adopters. Finally, the study showed that low public information on the benefits derived from using ICSs, the absence of the product on the market and level of education of household heads were identified as potential barriers to the adoption of improved cook stoves in urban areas. Based on these findings, it was recommended that Ministries and Institutions responsible for promoting the uptake of ICSs intensify public awareness creation, especially through the mass media (radio and television) communication channel. The government was also admonished to provide special interventions for easy access to credit for producers.
