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About 60 establishments including educational and corporate institutions and individuals have been shortlisted to receive special recognition for their contributions towards the attainment of all the energy-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
These are, SDGs four which is to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all and SDGs seven which also ensures access to clean and affordable energy.
The rest include SDGs 13 which seeks to implement the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change commitment to achieving a climate-neutral world by mid-century to limit global warming and SDGs 14 which is about conserving and sustainably using the oceans, seas and marine resources.
A Technical Coordinator in charge of Energy Transition at the Ministry of Energy and Lead Judge for the awards, Dr Robert Sogbadji, at a press conference in Accra yesterday to outdoor the nominations said, there would also be lifetime awards and other special awards for most influential SDG leaders in Africa.
The awards would be in 17 category and it includes SDG Teaching and Learning Award, Energy Media Personality of the Year, SDG Financial Services Award, Green Sustainability Hospitality Facility of the Year, SDG Research Award and Energy Infrastructure Award.
Put together by “Think Energy awards”, and powered by the African Global Response Energy Environment (AGREE) Limited, with support from the SDG Advisory Unit of the Office of the President, the Ministry of Energy and Ghana Gas Company, the novel ceremony is aimed at celebrating excellence, innovation and impact of the respective individuals and organisations on clean energy, energy efficiency and energy access.
Dr Sogbadji said the award was timely to support all institutions and to identify them and encourage other institutions to put in efforts to identify the SDGs.
He said the organisers were allowing the public to vote 30 per cent while the judges would contribute 70 per cent to select the winners.
That, Dr Sogbadji explained, was to create much awareness about the SDGs for the public to know that the SDGs were still being pursued until 2030.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO), of the African Global Response Energy Environment Limited, Humphrey Tetteh, explained that the awards would increase awareness about the efforts at achieving the seven SDGs including access to clean and affordable energy in the West African sub-region.
He said the event would serve as platform to recognise the efforts of individuals and corporate entities, who were making a difference in the quest to achieve the SDGs particularly those related to clean and efficient energy.
He said the vision of his outfit was to raise about $1million in the next three years to support winners of the awards to embark on projects aimed at shoring up efforts at attaining the energy-related SDGs and for that matter improving the energy sector in general.
