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News and Recent Developments
Osiem's "Solar House"
- November 2009: It all started with a 20-minute cross-town taxi ride. Steven Watson, a resident of New York City, and Frank Otchere, a resident of New Jersey (USA) and Osiem, Ghana, met in early 2003 in Otchere’s taxi. Watson, a cultural historian and psychologist, likes to learn from conversations with taxi drivers. He also, as it happens, has an interest in solar cooking. Otchere is the “Nkosuahene” of his village, the chief in charge of development. In just a few short years, Watson and Otchere have organized medicine contributions for Osiem, built the first public toilets, and established what Watson calls “the best library in the region.” Now they are working to bring simple solar cooking technology and know-how to the community. After initial failed attempts at building a solar cooker, Otchere went to Washington D.C. to learn from Solar Household Energy. Louise Meyer and Darwin Curtis gave him some pointers, and Otchere was then able to successfully construct and use a solar CooKit in Ghana. He chose the CooKit because it could be made inexpensively from aluminum foil and recycled cardboard and required only a blackened cooking pot and a transparent plastic bag. Otchere repeatedly demonstrated the CooKit’s performance by preparing and serving local foods — rice, plantains, yams, and palm nuts — to his neighbors each day for lunch. The two questions he received most were “Will I get sick if I eat this?” and “Is this magic?” Otchere responded “no” to the former, and told them that food cooks by the “magic of the sun.” According to Watson, “the people in Osiem are convinced that solar cookers work; they have seen it and they have eaten the food from CooKit.” Over 60 solar cookers have already been built by villagers, and are being sold for about $5 each. “Even though they understand that it will be economical and helpful over time,” writes Watson, “it is still difficult for villagers to afford the CooKit.” Otchere and Watson believe that solar cookers should not be given away free of charge. They are exploring solutions to this problem. One suggestion is to generate more local income by building CooKits in Osiem and offer them for sale, along with training, in larger towns and cities like Accra and Kofuridua. Another idea is to offer solar cookers in exchange for work done in the local community. Otchere has met with Dr. Mercy Bannerman, who has worked for several years to reduce guinea worm infections and other waterborne pathogens in Ghana through the use of solar water pasteurization (see the April 2005 Solar Cooker Review article "Solar cookers: a tool for guinea worm prevention”). Otchere and Bannerman agreed to cooperate in promotion of solar cooking in Ghana — Bannerman focused in the Upper East, Upper West and Northern regions; Otchere in the Eastern, Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions. Reported in the November 2009 Solar Cooker Review.
- April 2007: Dozens of delegates from many parts of Togo and Ghana attended a conference last December in Lome themed “climate change: a socio-political challenge.” The conference was organized by Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement (JVE) and showcased solar cooking and solar water pasteurization. Demonstrations and construction workshops were available to conference attendees. Beneficiaries of a JVE solar project shared testimonials of how solar cooking has changed lives in the Vo region. Also attending the conference were Togo’s Deputy Director of the Ministry of Environment, the Chief Cabinet to the Minister of Youth, and representatives of the media. Contact: Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement
- November 2006: Filmmaking in West Africa (covers the new film Thirsty Planet)
- Fall 2006: SHE is in contact with the Agricultural and Rural Development Association (ARA-Ghana). The ARA-Ghana has experimented with the HotPot and considers its quality and design to be very marketable. It is not planning a promotion program.
The History of Solar Cooking in Ghana
A number of Ghanaians have similarly indicated interest in solar cooking, with requests for information from universities and non-governmental organizations. As far back as the early 1990s, a faculty member at the University of Kumasi, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Dr. A.K.Dzizi, was providing cooking demonstrations and instructions. A leading women's group, the 31st December Women's Movement, has taken a specific interest in the technology, as reported at the Varese conference. The movement was encouraging women to take up farming ventures, and in addition to add value to their products for the export market. Hence, both solar cooking and solar drying were considered as important possibilities. Much of Ghana's electricity generation is hydroelectric, and has proven to be problematic in times of drought. Wood and charcoal are in increasingly short supply, and gas is too expensive for most people. Hence solar cooking and drying would appear to be an important potential. In 1999, the group was actively seeking funding for this promotion. No further information is available.
Recently, in 2002, a Ghanian effort was the highlight of the solar cooking year when a project headed by Dr. Mercy Bannerman was one of the top winners at the World Bank's Development Marketplace, an opportunity held annually to showcase exemplary activities in less developed nations. Dr. Bannerman, a medical doctor, won the award for her project entitled " Simple Solar for Health + Wealth". The program used the panel cooker, the CooKit, and a WAPI (water pasteurization indicator) to ward off the dangers of guinea worm, e-coli, and other waterbome hazards in drinking water. She had been initially taught about the use of the sun for these purposes at a Girl Guides program in Ireland, and later through Rotary connections, learned more about solar cooking and water pasteurization. The award, $100,000 was to be used for training of additional persons to spread the technology more widely in Ghana. The project has now moved beyond household use to the creation of small scale enterprises for making CooKits and selling them. Dr. Bannerman has also been awarded funds for similar purposes through Rotary International's programs. Her award was a milestone for solar cooking promoters everywhere, with its recognition of the potential of the technology as an important component in development.
Climate, Culture, and Special Considerations
See also
- Discussion of West-central Africa's suitability for solar cooking
- Solar cooker dissemination and cultural variables
Resources
Possible funders for solar cooking projects in Ghana
Reports
- 2004: A PDF file with slides concerning a 2004 solar cooking project in Ghana by Rudolf Wurzer.
Articles in the media
Web pages
Contacts
The entities listed below are either based in Ghana, or have established solar cooking projects there:
SCI Associates
- Main article: Solar Cookers International Association
NGOs
Manufacturers and vendors
Individuals
Government agencies
Educational institutions
See also
References