Households’ Willingness to Adopt Biogas Energy in the Birim North District of Ghana: Insights for Local Governments for Clean Energy Promotion

  • Dr. Charles Yaw Oduro Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
  • Dr. Ronald Adamtey Department of Planning of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
  • Prof. Clifford Amoako Department of Planning of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4314/just.v41i1.1467
Keywords: biogas technology, renewable energy options, socio-economic factors, Birim North District

Abstract

Rural Ghana has potential for widespread use of biogas energy by households, which would contribute to the achievement of UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy). However, knowledge of households’ willingness to adopt it is still scanty. Therefore, this paper examines socio-economic factors that may influence the willingness of households in the Birim North District of Ghana to adopt biogas energy for cooking. Using survey data, the study analyses the effects of gender, age, education and occupation of household heads, household size, type of energy currently used for cooking, household expenditure on energy for cooking, income and prior awareness on willingness to adopt biogas. Data were collected from a random sample of 392 households, and analysed using chi-square and multiple binary logistic regression methods. With the exception of education, all the socio-economic variables stated above have significant effects on households’ willingness to adopt biogas technology. However, the exact nature of the influence of these variables (i.e. whether negative or positive) does not necessarily conform to what pertains elsewhere. The findings provide local governments and other stakeholders with relevant insights to properly target households with appropriate educational and marketing strategies for biogas adoption.

Author Biographies

Dr. Charles Yaw Oduro, Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Charles Y. Oduro is a Planner with over 25 years’ working experience. He is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Planning, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Before joining KNUST, he was a Visiting Lecturer at the Department of Urban & Regional Planning, Florida State University (FSU), Tallahassee FL, USA, and as a Senior Consultant at Nkum Associates, Accra, Ghana. He is the immediate past Coordinator of the SPRING Programme at the Department of Planning, and currently serves on the Board of Directors of Asokore-Mampong Rural Bank, Kumasi, and the Board of Governors of St. Paul’s Senior High School, Kwahu Asakraka, Ghana. Charles holds a Ph.D. in Urban & Regional Planning from FSU, USA. He is a member of the Ghana Institute of Planners (GIP). His teaching and research interests include: urban growth management; rural-urban linkages; spatial analysis; environmental sustainability; and project evaluation.

Dr. Ronald Adamtey, Department of Planning of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Ronald Adamtey is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Planning of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. He holds a PhD in Governance and Public Policy from the University of Sussex, United Kingdom. His research interests are decentralization and local governance, political economy of public policy, environment and climate governance and the politics of neo-patrimonial ties.

Prof. Clifford Amoako, Department of Planning of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Clifford Amoako (PhD) is an Associate Professor and current Head of the Department of Planning, KNUST, Kumasi, Ghana. He is an urban and regional planner and academic, with over 20 years’ professional experience. His current research interests are in urban governance, vulnerability and responses to natural hazards; transportation planning and artisanal small-scale mining in developing countries. The results of many of his research projects and consultancy services have been disseminated through academic papers, policy briefs and conference presentations. He has over 80 research articles, working papers, policy briefs and consultancy reports to his credit. He is a Fellow of the Ghana Institute of Planners (FGIP) and its current 2nd Vice President.

Published
2023-04-20
How to Cite
Oduro, C. Y., Adamtey, R., & Amoako, C. (2023). Households’ Willingness to Adopt Biogas Energy in the Birim North District of Ghana: Insights for Local Governments for Clean Energy Promotion. Journal of Science and Technology, 41(1), 42 - 64. https://doi.org/10.4314/just.v41i1.1467
Issue
Vol 41 No 1 (2023)
Section
Articles