The Bolgatanga Technical University (BTU) in the Upper East Region has won a grant of GH?499,000.00 from the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC) under the Science Granting Council Initiative to implement a new climate change project in the region.
The project, dubbed: ‘Enhancing Traditional Building Materials for Sustainable Climate-Smart Green Development’, is an 18-month project, which is to be supervised by the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) Ghana.
It would lead to the implementation of activities including analysing conventional construction materials thoroughly, measuring their environmental effect through life cycle assessments and carbon footprint calculations.
The project will also investigate and find sustainable alternatives to typical construction materials, taking into account issues like recyclability, energy efficiency in manufacturing, and eco-friendliness.
Under the renewable energy integration component, the intervention would exa
mine the viability and efficacy of incorporating renewable energy sources such as solar panels and wind turbines into traditional building constructions.
Professor Callistus Tengan, the Dean of Build and Environment, BTU, explained that to reduce transportation-related emissions and the total carbon footprint of building projects, the project would also encourage the use of locally produced materials in traditional construction.
‘Under the Smart Technology Implementation component, the project will integrate smart technology with traditional building practices, using sensors and automation to optimise building efficiency, monitor resource utilisation, and improve energy management,’ he added.
As part of the implementation strategies, the project team would undertake community engagement initiatives to create awareness about sustainable construction practices and to engage local people in the adoption of green building approaches.
Prof Tengan said to ensure accountability and transparency, the project impl
ementation stages, results and outputs would be disseminated in accordance with the MESTI and IDRC’s Open Access Policy available at the (Grants Management System (mesti.gov.gh) / https://idrc-crdi.ca/en/open-access-policy-idrcfunded-project-outputs) for public consumption.
He indicated that Open access publication of books and journal articles on the project interventions and its impact were also welcome.
The anticipated outcomes would include a catalog of sustainable material alternatives, guidelines for renewable energy integration, toolkits for local sourcing and carbon reduction, manuals for smart technology integration, and documents detailing effective community engagement strategies.
‘This initiative aims to provide practical tools, guidelines, and frameworks applicable in traditional construction practices, fostering sustainable, climate-conscious development,’ he said.
‘These will contribute to creating climate change resilience, aligning with the broader goal of promoting sustainable practices
and minimising the environmental impact of construction activities.’
Prof Tengan said traditional building materials could have a large environmental impact and that among the overall goals of the project was to undertake a complete study of the environmental effects of conventional building materials such as concrete, bricks, and wood.
‘Understanding their life cycle emissions, resource depletion, and waste creation will offer a benchmark against which other materials may be compared.’
The intervention had a bearing on the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly Goal Three, which advocates good health and well-being for all by 2030.
Source: Ghana News Agency