African countries urged to harmonise cooling appliance standards

The Centre for Shared Responsibility and Technology Ambition (CSRTA) has urged African nations to harmonise cooling appliance standards and improve regulations to curb the importation of outdated, inefficient, and substandard equipment. At a sustainable cooling and energy efficiency conference in Accra, Kofi Agyarko, CSRTA's Chief Executive, emphasized the importance of regional cooperation in addressing the growing challenge.

He stated, "Africa has become a destination for old technologies and used appliances, and the time has come for us to change the situation."

Agyarko highlighted Ghana's progress in energy efficiency and warned that the nation's decisions on cooling appliances would have significant long-term consequences for electricity consumption and energy security. Hyacinth Elayo, Sustainable Energy Policy Officer at ECREEE, called for increased investment in the energy sector to enhance electricity access and support industrialization in West Africa.

He stated, "Efforts are being made to identify and remove substandard equipment from markets to reduce pressure on electricity grids and improve the value derived from investments in power generation."

The conference aimed to bring together energy efficiency experts to devise strategies for engaging manufacturers and producers of cooling appliances in developing standards that ensure quality and energy efficiency in African markets. Agyarko added that the next step would involve engaging manufacturers and producers on the standards required for cooling appliances entering African markets, with discussions planned for the China-Africa Standardization Conference in November.