A former Director of the United Nations Development Programme Energy and Atmosphere Programme, Professor Emeritus Thomas Johansson, has underlined the need for emerging economies to invest more in efficient energy technologies.

The lack of access to clean and modern energy, he said, remained a major challenge and stifling industrial and socio-economic growth in many countries.

It is estimated that about two million people worldwide are without access to clean energy like wind and solar, which affects the quality of life and industrial development.

Prof Johansson was delivering a paper on “Global Energy Assessment (GEA) – Toward a sustainable future”, at a public lecture organised by the Kwame Nkrumah University of science and Technology (KNUST) Energy Centre in Kumasi.

The GEA is a research-based document, defines a new global energy policy agenda to transform the way society thinks about, utilise and deliver energy.

It was developed by the Cambridge University Press in partnership with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis.

Prof Johansson noted that the document was the first ever fully integrated energy assessment with suggestions on energy opportunities and strategies for developing countries and emerging economies to meet the demands of the growing population.

He said more should be done to evolve energy efficient cars, buildings and domestic appliances, adding that, research showed that efficient end-use technologies could significantly contribute to large carbon emission reduction.

Prof Abeeku Brew-Hammond, Director of the KNUST Energy Centre, said modern and alternative energy sources would aid the fight to bring down poverty.

He pointed out that Ghana could not continue to rely on hydro to generate power to meet industrial and economic needs.

He called on technocrats, scientists and industries to brainstorm on ways to find alternative energy sources from waste, wind, natural gas, solar and nuclear to benefit the people.