Driving improved cooking technology uptake in Ghana: An analysis of costs and benefits

Abstract

Household cooking, particularly in developing countries like Ghana, is typically done using traditional cookstoves and unclean fuels. The costs of these high polluting cooking methods and fuels are significant at the private and social levels. This is for instance mirrored in the thousands of premature deaths associated with household air pollution in Ghana annually, but also in the impact of climate change on changing weather patterns, food security, and air quality. Accordingly, efforts are focused on delivering cleaner cooking technologies to mitigate and help reverse the growing impact. While these interventions have associated benefits, they also come with costs. A comparison of these benefits and costs is necessary for ascertaining the possible reasons behind the drag in uptake and determining the need or otherwise for national policy. This study used a number of mathematical models and equations to estimate and compare the benefits and costs of households switching to improved cooking technologies. The results show negative private benefits of US$0.81, US$0.42, and US$0.89 per household per month for adopting wood, charcoal and LPG improved cookstoves (ICS), respectively. In contrast, overall net benefits—which accounts for social and environmental benefits—are significantly positive for all technologies at US$5.70, US$1.09, and US$33.50 for the respective ICS. Accordingly, national policy to incentivize the adoption of these technologies by households is justified.