CSIC Research Associate wins grant to identify policy instruments supporting low-carbon infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa

Dr Kwadwo Oti-Sarpong has received a grant from the Energy Interdisciplinary Research Centre for a policy-driven collaborative project to guide the delivery of low carbon emissions infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Working with Dr Rehema Msulwa, a Research Associate at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy, and a contributor to the CSIC Smart Infrastructure Blog series, Dr Oti-Sarpong, who is also a member of the Ghana Institute of Construction, will explore the critical role of policy instruments as tools to guide the planning and delivery of low carbon public sector infrastructure projects in SSA countries, with focus on Ghana as a case study. The Energy Interdisciplinary Research Centre at the University of Cambridge supports Cambridge academics through a range of initiatives aimed at accelerating the transition to a zero-carbon world.

We hope the policy paper will help to inform infrastructure sector stakeholders of the important policy instruments that need to be developed to help guide the delivery of public sector projects in ways that will lead to the least carbon emissions. It is anticipated that this output will inform future decision making in establishing a framework to guide the delivery of infrastructure projects sustainably Dr Kwadwo Oti-Sarpong, CSIC Research Associate

According to a new Infrastructure for Climate Action report by the UN Office for Project Services, the delivery of infrastructure is responsible for 79% of all greenhouse gas emissions and 88% of all adaptation costs. The sector is critical to the achievement of global climate action and sustainable development goals. Some advanced economies have implemented a mix of policy instruments to guide the planning, execution and management of public sector infrastructure projects to help reduce carbon emissions (see HM Treasury, 2020 for the UK and UNPRI, 2022 for the rest of Europe).

Drs Oti-Sarpong and Msulwa said: “Infrastructure in key sectors is the bedrock of Ghana’s economic growth and development. Over the next two decades, the country’s infrastructure spending for buildings, transport, telecommunications, water and sanitation, backed by foreign investment, is projected to reach ~USD96 billion (UNDP, 2021). This investment boost is critical because extreme weather and rapid changes to Ghana’s climate present a profound risk to these sectors.”

The project, titled ‘Identifying policy instruments needed to drive the delivery of low carbon emissions infrastructure projects in sub-Saharan Africa: The case of Ghana’, will entail a review of carbon emissions and climate change government commitments and policies in Ghana, interviews and a roundtable with stakeholders, analysing the data and publishing the research findings in a policy paper.

“We hope the policy paper will help to inform infrastructure sector stakeholders of the important policy instruments that need to be developed to help guide the delivery of public sector projects in ways that will lead to the least carbon emissions,” said Dr Oti-Sarpong. “It is anticipated that this output will inform future decision making in establishing a framework to guide the delivery of infrastructure projects sustainably.”